Xianmang Xu

Abstract Heavy metal pollution has silently insinuated itself into the fabric of modern life – from the vegetables on our dinner plates and the tap water we drink to the cosmetics we use daily. This reality underscores global environmental and public health crises intensified by industrialization and urban expansion.

China’s progress in the improvement of air quality masks a widening gap: its heavily polluted, industrial border cities bear a disproportionate health and economic burden, which demands urgent policy shifts to avoid deepening environmental injustice. You have full access to this article via your institution. China’s ‘Third Air Quality Action Plan’ demands further improvement of air quality, particularly by promoting green industries, clean energy and low-carbon transportation.