11/19/2010

US Embassy: Beijing Air Quality Is 'Crazy Bad'

Pollution in Beijing was so bad Friday the U.S. Embassy, which has been independently monitoring air quality, ran out of conventional adjectives to describe it, at one point saying it was "crazy bad."

The embassy later deleted the phrase, saying it was an "incorrect" description and it would revise the language to use when the air quality index goes above 500, its highest point and a level considered hazardous for all people by U.S. standards.

The hazardous haze has forced schools to stop outdoor exercises, and health experts asked residents, especially those with respiratory problems, the elderly and children, to stay indoors.

"We've canceled 10 days worth of games since August," said David Niven, chief operating officer of China ClubFootball, which runs extensive youth and adult football leagues in Beijing. "If the air is above 240, some of the schools will ask us to move football games indoors or cancel them altogether. Because of the bad air this year, we've had to cancel more games than ever before."

Health experts say breathing polluted air can affect respiratory functions and worsen problems for those with asthma or allergies.

China's official air quality rating was 312 on Friday. Environmental groups and city residents have complained the government's measurement system consistently underreports the severity of the problem.

Beijing's official air monitors only measure relatively coarse particulate matter, whereas the U.S. system monitors smaller, deadlier dust particles.

Experts say Beijing's frequently bad air has been even dirtier recently because a growing number of factories and villages on the outskirts of the city are burning coal for the winter, and more than 1,200 new cars hit the roads each day.

Read more at NPR

Nov 19, 2010 4:39:21 PM | Current Affairs, Weather

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