Time Lapse of Rolling Smog Gives Glimpse of Beijing's Pollution Problem The air quality was considered hazardous this weekend by the U.S. Embassy.

 -- A time-lapse video showing smog rolling into Beijing over a 20-minute period gives a glimpse of the pollution problem in China's capital city.

Chas Pope, a British engineering consultant working in Beijing, shot the video.

An air-quality index released by China's municipal environmental protection bureau, which measures potentially hazardous particles in the air, hit 482 on Sunday, almost touching the 500 mark where the scale tops out, and far beyond the point deemed hazardous to health, according to the South China Morning Post.

The U.S embassy in Beijing gives its own advise on of air pollution in the capital, which as of today is "hazardous."

"Everyone should avoid all physical activity outdoors," a warning accompanying the reading warns. "People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should remain indoors and keep activity levels low."