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Hazardous That’s what @BeijingAir, the U.S. Embassy’s close to hourly Twitter reports said about the state of Beijing’s air pollution the other day, and the worst rating it can give. By now, I’m not all that surprised. It used to be that I would look at the haze outside and deem it fog, primarily due to my Vancouver upbringing where it’s foggy 50 percent of fall, winter, and parts of spring. The rest of the time it’s wet and a mixture of foggy and wet. Thank you, Beijing, I am naive no more. However, I am...
Very Unhealthy It’s the second-worst rating and an accurate description of a majority of the people living in my apartment building right now. Clearly there is something floating in the air that is making everyone sick. A bug that just won’t give, everywhere I go I hear coughing, sneezing and that throaty, ready to spit sound. But this time it’s not from the traditional Beijinger culprits.
Beijing really is a great city, but if living in Beijing means subjecting yourself to “very unhealthy” levels of air pollution daily, then is it really worth it? I’ve heard that living a day in Beijing air is approximately the same as smoking one-fourth of a cigarette.
Unhealthy Is the third-worst rating, but second-best @BeijingAir gives out and it gives it out a lot. It doesn’t help that Beijing does not even attempt to curb the lowest level of air pollution—smoking. I had dinner with an old China hand, an Englishman who has been living in China for years, and he noted that of all the places he’d been to, and as a writer he’d been to plenty, no place today is as conducive as China for smoking. Not Russia, not other Asian countries, not even Central Europe could compare. Even France has begun to rein in their indoors smoking policies, while my home country prohibits smoking within six feet of the outside of an establishment.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups A friend of mine chided last night that “unhealthy for sensitive groups” actually meant not so bad for regular people and healthy for Beijingers.
In all seriousness though, who constitutes these sensitive groups? People with respiratory ailments like asthma perhaps, or with histories of lung cancer, or children. My aunt and her family live in Shanghai, a city with air pollution that isn’t as bad as Beijing’s, but have chosen to limit their stay in China to only three years. She worries that her 1-year-old son’s body will suffer the hugest consequences and has been told that three years are about as much a child can take in that level of pollution before it becomes harmful to his health.
Good The best rating @BeijingAir gives the city air. A positive rating! Those actually exist and believe it or not, Beijing does get them once in a while. Good-rating days aren’t just good days, they’re great days! There are fewer disgusting particles floating around in the air that will make you sick, that’s for sure! Skies are blue and it’s usually a beautiful day. You may or may not feel a breeze, but any that comes your way won’t send you into a coughing fit.
A Good rating indicates hope for something better and knowing that Beijing can be better. Sure, it may be a literal dust bowl and floors are unhygienically spit-covered, but with a little help on the quality of air we’re all breathing, a little dust and spit can be tolerated and even adds to Beijing’s charm. I’ll also bet that no one would be happier than air pollution watchdog @BeijingAir to fall into obsolescence.
Come on, Beijing! I’ve been nursing this cough and cold at home for the past couple of days with my bottle of cough syrup, hot water and about every other mix of herbal and chemical, Chinese and Western medicine, cheering you on!
Jiayou! We’re counting on you and we know you can do it. Clean yourself up and get your act together. We all know the Olympics are over but that doesn’t mean the efforts for more Good ratings have to stop! On the contrary, everyone that’s in a coughing or sneezing frenzy in my building right now would appreciate a little more oomph for a few more Goods in the hope that someday everyday will be a Good day.
Very Unhealthy It’s the second-worst rating and an accurate description of a majority of the people living in my apartment building right now. Clearly there is something floating in the air that is making everyone sick. A bug that just won’t give, everywhere I go I hear coughing, sneezing and that throaty, ready to spit sound. But this time it’s not from the traditional Beijinger culprits.
Beijing really is a great city, but if living in Beijing means subjecting yourself to “very unhealthy” levels of air pollution daily, then is it really worth it? I’ve heard that living a day in Beijing air is approximately the same as smoking one-fourth of a cigarette.
Unhealthy Is the third-worst rating, but second-best @BeijingAir gives out and it gives it out a lot. It doesn’t help that Beijing does not even attempt to curb the lowest level of air pollution—smoking. I had dinner with an old China hand, an Englishman who has been living in China for years, and he noted that of all the places he’d been to, and as a writer he’d been to plenty, no place today is as conducive as China for smoking. Not Russia, not other Asian countries, not even Central Europe could compare. Even France has begun to rein in their indoors smoking policies, while my home country prohibits smoking within six feet of the outside of an establishment.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups A friend of mine chided last night that “unhealthy for sensitive groups” actually meant not so bad for regular people and healthy for Beijingers.
In all seriousness though, who constitutes these sensitive groups? People with respiratory ailments like asthma perhaps, or with histories of lung cancer, or children. My aunt and her family live in Shanghai, a city with air pollution that isn’t as bad as Beijing’s, but have chosen to limit their stay in China to only three years. She worries that her 1-year-old son’s body will suffer the hugest consequences and has been told that three years are about as much a child can take in that level of pollution before it becomes harmful to his health.
Good The best rating @BeijingAir gives the city air. A positive rating! Those actually exist and believe it or not, Beijing does get them once in a while. Good-rating days aren’t just good days, they’re great days! There are fewer disgusting particles floating around in the air that will make you sick, that’s for sure! Skies are blue and it’s usually a beautiful day. You may or may not feel a breeze, but any that comes your way won’t send you into a coughing fit.
A Good rating indicates hope for something better and knowing that Beijing can be better. Sure, it may be a literal dust bowl and floors are unhygienically spit-covered, but with a little help on the quality of air we’re all breathing, a little dust and spit can be tolerated and even adds to Beijing’s charm. I’ll also bet that no one would be happier than air pollution watchdog @BeijingAir to fall into obsolescence.
Come on, Beijing! I’ve been nursing this cough and cold at home for the past couple of days with my bottle of cough syrup, hot water and about every other mix of herbal and chemical, Chinese and Western medicine, cheering you on!
Jiayou! We’re counting on you and we know you can do it. Clean yourself up and get your act together. We all know the Olympics are over but that doesn’t mean the efforts for more Good ratings have to stop! On the contrary, everyone that’s in a coughing or sneezing frenzy in my building right now would appreciate a little more oomph for a few more Goods in the hope that someday everyday will be a Good day.