The electronics company Panasonic will pay its Japanese staff in China "pollution pay". It wants workers to have more money because of China's poor air quality. No one knows how many people will get the extra money, or how much the additional pay is. Panasonic had no plans to give the payment to its Chinese staff. Workers who work in other countries usually get extra pay for phone calls, restaurants or furniture. Panasonic is maybe the first company to give money to its workers because of pollution. Other companies in China may now do the same as Panasonic.

Pollution is a big problem in China. The World Health Organization said pollution was 15 times higher than healthy levels. China's Premier said his country would fight a "war on pollution". A newspaper reported that: "Air quality [in China] was below national standards in almost every major city last year." There are a few reasons why pollution in China has become so bad. The country's economic success means there are thousands more factories. China also uses coal for most of its energy. In addition, there are thousands more cars than before on China's roads.