Nearly 90 percent of China's biggest cities failed to meet air quality standards in 2014 despite the nation's war on pollution, according to the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The ministry announced on its website that among the 74 cities it monitors, only eight were able to meet national standards for PM 2.5 content, carbon monoxide emissions and ozone levels.

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The smog in major cities poses environmental risks and is a serious health risks. The public has shown extreme concern about pollution and the government's inability to curb it. The government has began eliminating substandard industrial systems and aims to reduce overall coal consumption.

In 2013, only three cities passed the standards: Haikou of the island of Hainan, the Tibetan city of Lhasa and a coastal resort city called Zhoushan.

In 2014, these cities were joined by Shenzhen, Huizhou, Zhunai located in southeastern Huangdong province, Fuzhou from Fujian and Kunming.

The 10 worst polluted cities in 2014 were Hebei near Beijing, Baoding, Handan, Hengshui, Tangshan, Xingtai and Shijiazhuang.

The ministry said the Beijing, Hebei and Tianjin regions produced a PM2.5 reading of 93 micrograms per cubic meter in 2014. China announced the state standard for all cities should be 35 micrograms, however. The government does not expect the levels to go down before 2030.

The government has announced Hebei is the top priority in cutting down on smog. To date, the province has yet to search for alternate energy sources for its ever growing population and economy.

Tags90% of China's Cities Fail in Air Quality Standards, china war on pollution, 90 percent major cities china fail air quality, Hebei, worst polluted cities in china