As pollution darkened the skies above northern China this week, and Beijing declared its first red alert over the capital’s air quality, the state-run news media gave anxious readers one more reason to worry about going outdoors. The customs authorities in Shanghai have seized nearly 120,000 counterfeit surgical masks, the official China News Service reported on Thursday. Such masks have become an increasingly common sight inChina in recent years, with more people wearing them in an effort to protect themselves from pollution. Read more
