My first escape was Shanghai. Once I realized it was almost as bad as BJ, I parked myself in HK, which seems to be okay. I need to return to BJ/SH soon, but I am loving life down here.

It's been 9 months since my last visit to China, and now I am scheduled to be in SHA over the weekend.
Can't say I am eagerly awaiting it.

Here is an article I found on the subject:

http://www.theatlantic.com/internati...toring/258447/

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/3518...smog-china.htm

This must be really embarrassing to the Chinese government only a week after that diplomatic row on embassy pollution monitoring!

So.... are fellow FTers in Beijing still alive? I'm holed up in my apartment trying not to die... ;)

Latest US embassy AQI reading is insane: @BeijingAir: 01-12-2013 15:00; PM2.5; 802.0; 699; Beyond Index

No relief projected for tomorrow due to only very light winds. *sigh

Even from the US the app is shouting out those red numbers to me. ;) Keep your mouth shut and hope all goes well. :D

Haven't seen it this bad since before the Olympics. Today would definitely count as Crazy Bad on the modified scale... :p

Landed at PEK T3 this morning and couldn't even see the terminal from the window while parked at the gate.

Just before last xmas, I'm pretty sure it was even worse (can verify this by searching this thread using my handle). I remember getting off the plane, and feeling like I was in the presence of a forest fire.

Shanghai doesn't hold a candle to Beijing in this regard, but I feel like it's catching up. The same goes for the taxis down here.

I'm pretty sure this is the absolute worst we've experienced in the 15 months or so we've been in Beijing. We actually had to venture out this afternoon: we left when the AQI was 400+ and it went up to 800 whilst we were out -- when I found out, I'm sure the panic brought on an instant 'pollution' headache!

What's worse: I'm co-hosting a bunch of bigwigs flying in today/tomorrow -- they're sure to be impressed by China!

tb

sunday
 

Last night was nasty here in BJ when it was +800 , but at 7am today only 483...

Interesting that the CNN coverage of the BJ air quality was not censored...

Chinese media is openly reporting that parts of Beijing and surrounding areas breached 900. Maybe this is the new leadership at work.... *koff

These are insane numbers. I can only remember it getting this bad (actually over 1000) last year on the evening of Chinese New Year. Glad I'm not there right now. This is seriously dangerous pollution even for healthy adults.

At least for CNY it is largely due to fireworks and probably more localized spiked readings. This is a pretty persistent escalation throughout the day. Averaged 24 hr AQI reading for Saturday was >500. Reports are saying this high pollution will persist until Tues.

Yes, and no. THere will be a large excess of death this week due to the pollution, and that is a function of large population in Beijing and the very vulnerable people succumbing. However, crunching the numbers (someone else did, but I vagely trust it), even breathing the air the last 24hrs was no 'worse' than smoking 3-5 cigarettes -- which rather puts it all into perspective.

People who go clubbing in Beijing every week probably get exposed to much worse air a month on average than the last few days.

tb

Thanks for the info tb! I looked it up, and if we consider yesterday's 24hr average of >500, inhaling that for a day is about 75% of a cigarette. Ok so I won't DIE die anytime soon... I just get a kick out of the collective freak-out yesterday. LOL

That said I wouldn't want to be raising a kid in this environment. I don't have an air filter, but if I had a kid I'd have several plus make the kid go out in a bubble suit!! Heh.

http://www.myhealthbeijing.com/2011/...disappointing/

not sure if this is the article you are referring to, but this blog post by a doctor calculated that breathing for a full day in an AQI500 day is equal to about 75% of a cigarette. However he only accounts for the particulates; I don't think he took into account effects of nicotine in cigarettes and other toxic contaminants in the coal ash.

Maybe so if you look only at the short-term. But I have been in Beijing for 10+ years. I have coronary artery disease and a bypass surgery already under my belt...and I'm not even qualified to be a Senior Citizen yet! After many years of not really having the bad air affect me in any noticeable way on a day-to-day basis, since 2010, I can honestly say it does. You can see why I'm not eager to return and in fact, have decided to not return to Beijing as home base. Only short visits if necessarily. If I'm to continue on in China, it will have to be at a different location....and there are relatively few places one can base out of that have both a) decent air and b) work. :(

The handwriting is on the wall.

the pollution thread
 

My wife and I will be spending a week touring Beijing in mid-February and she'll be 6 months pregnant at the time. Should she consider wearing a mask, or are we worrying too much?

mid feb
 

The festive CNY chaos starts on Feb. 10th & the nightly aroma of fireworks will continue to Lantern day, Feb. 24th. A good mask might be a good idea for those evenings when the weather is uncooperative. BJ is abet weird during the week of CNY... past years CNY posts have more details. Many foreigners leave China during CNY week.

Sorry to hear about the health issues.

Without doubt, air pollution is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease -- but nowhere near as much as smoking. Over a large population, a small, but universally applied risk results in many excess events especially given that CHD is not uncommon.

tb

Well, SH's air isn't completely dastardly, it has a great job market, and you'll get used to the culture over time (i.e. at least my friends are nice people).

But, I'm hoping to move down south (Shenzhen or Xiamen) during the course of the next year.

Better idea to both of you: move to HKG! :D

HKG? You want us to move to an airport? :p:D

Funning aside, HK air isn't all that great, too much imported pollution from the Pearl River Delta. The only larger Chinese cities that I've been in that seem to have decent air are Dalian, Qingdao, and Xiamen. Xiamen I particularly like since in ways it reminds me of my original home (coastal Florida) and doesn't have a real winter. Inland: Kunming has pretty decent air. So, Xiamen or Kunming would be my picks, and maybe not just based on health/air quality but on general liveability dimensions and easy access to places outside China. Shanghai I could deal with but I'd put a time limit of 2 years on it.

You're right it isn't THAT great here in HKG, but we think "200" is uber uber high, and SH beats that mark quite a lot, if I'm not mistaken. I think estimates are that 50% of HK's pollution is "imported" - the HK government seems to be reluctant to take local measures to improve things itself though (bus and shipping emission standards etc).

Plus we have great weather, beaches, low taxes, connectivity to the world, easy visa process etc etc etc...:) - oh and the food is safe

I love HKG and visit at least once a year, but for my industry HKG has fallen out of favour as a major hub for the region, and on its own is not a major market either. Given up figuring out a way to be posted there. In fact we have quite a few HKG colleagues now in the China offices because they've run out the career ladder back home!

I too used to think the pollution in HKG gets pretty gross, but after 18mths in Beijing - yikes. I can't imagine what the other 2nd/3rd tier industrial cities must be like.

Similar to the People's Republic of Kalifornia. But we have the added bonus
of high taxes, offset by zero humidity in the summer.

The following blog written by a doctor who lives in Beijing talks about pollution and health:
http://www.myhealthbeijing.com/categ...ess/pollution/

I think there are some things you can do to minimise the health impacts:
1. Stay indoors where possible and buy an air cleaning machine with a HEPA filter.
2. When outdoors wear a mask that can filter out fine particles (see http://www.myhealthbeijing.com/2010/...hich-are-best/)

The site above has an article suggesting that even on the worst days, breathing in the air is equivalent to smoking less than one cigarette, which just shows how horribly bad for the health smoking is: http://www.myhealthbeijing.com/2011/...disappointing/

Beijing is pretty terrible in both air and water pollution. The running joke is that if you are a decently high up government official you would have a water filtration system installed in your house (actually true).

Anyway I was in Shanghai the past week and the air was surprisingly ok. Normally when I get off the place I notice the air quality immediately. Maybe it is because I haven't been to Shanghai in awhile.

p.s. Anyone know if fog has anything to do with pollution? Getting a crazy amount of it right now and caused me to be stuck in Wuxi for a day due to highway closing (at least the InterContinental was nice in Wuxi).

Water pollution in BJ is news to me; I know that lots of buildings use old plumbing, but I've heard that the water itself is quite okay.

Yes, fog (stagnant air) does exacerbate air quality problems.

Shanghai might seem fine by comparison, but I can't recall the last time I've seen stars here.

I'll take that "unsafe" food over in Shenzhen over the sweet rubbish in HK any day. Whenever there's a mainland visa in tow, I do just that. On the other hand, I'll be in town the night of 17JAN, so if there was a place with late-night 蝦餃, that'd be nice.

Regarding Beijing's air pollution, it's even more surreal with sunglasses on. Strolling by Jianguomen Waidajie, at least the parts with the random neon lights (the ones that look like incomplete arches)- might as well be filming a sequel to Blade Runner.

Comparatively speaking (but still not exactly healthy), Shenzhen never seemed that bad, at least in the SEZ. But wandering through parts of Longgang, Baoan or Guangming indeed reveals another world.

Spoken like someone who hasn't explored mainland-style cuisine options in HK (though there is a lack of Xinjiang food here - :( )

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...am-minter.html

Food safety in the mainland is no joke- but you're more than welcome to play around with the risks if you desire to do so

I have a big problem with his data--he's assuming you get all the PM2.5's in the cigarette. I have never seen a smoker actually do anything like this.

Satellite pictures of airpocalypse:

http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2...-airpocalypse/

Case Study

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...4_u3k1uo1r.jpg

The cigarette filter might make inhalation cleaner than without the cigarette.

I hadn't even thought of that. I was thinking of the simple fact that not all the burn time of a cigarette is spent inhaling.

pollution in beijing equivalent to living inside the smoking lounge at the airport...

ew.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...f-the-day.html

Do kids wear these cartoon figure masks to not spread a cold or
because of the pollution?

Seems the caption is questionable.


The LA TIMES caption:A little girl wears a mask with a cartoon theme in Tiananmen Square during severe pollution in Beijing on January 29.1
PHOTOGRAPH BY: Feng Li / Getty Images

Care for a stroll in the park?

In this case for pollution of the stroll in the park photo, caption is correct. For the little girls' photo, probably for illness but could be for pollution, not enough context to tell. However, while I sometimes see Chinese adults with colds wear masks to keep from spreading germs (a la Japanese custom), I uncommonly see them put masks on sick kids.

I believe the little girl isn't wearing the mask for pollution.
Appears as though she is in somekind of event.

(not so) fun fact - said masks are only logically beneficial if you have a cold, because their pores are too large to keep out PM2.5. you can wear one all day and still get yourself some good old fashioned lung cancer.