The air quality in Beijing has been decreasing as the country becomes more industrialised, and the authorities have been working on it ever since warnings from the Olympic committee in the build up to the 2008 Games.
The general dustiness of the city is exacerbated by the fact it almost never rains here. At the same time emission controls like those in the West haven’t really taken hold, so even newer cars still burn leaded fuels and right next to the CBD in the middle of Chaoyang is a large fossil fuel burning power plant. Most days this pollution manifests itself as thick smog hanging over the city, most noticeably in the morning. I’ve never really felt any ill effects, but those living nearer the factories frequently complain of runny eyes and a shortness of breath.
There are many sources of information about the current air quality – my favourite is to look up in the morning and if I can’t see the top of my 14 storey building it’s not a good day to rush about. A more accurate source is either the official air quality index, which tends to downplay the problem by reporting from weather stations all over the city, or the US Embassy Twitter feed(@beijingair) which reports the facts as they see them in their single location by the third ring-road. This difference of opinion culminated last month in the Tweet:
Beijing Air Quality - Crazy Bad
although this was rapidly revised to the more sober ‘Beyond index’. The index they refer to is a rating from 0 to 500+. Some days it’s in the low 40s, but last month averaged more like 300, reaching a peak of 557 on the ‘crazy bad’ day, which has now entered the local vernacular.
US Embassy Air Quality Index
As it doesn’t seem to affect me I’ve not really noticed the air quality up until the last couple of days when after a force 10 gale blew away the smog (and the roof of the new airport) the air in Beijing has been unusually fresh and clear, and the prospect of snow in the next few days should keep it that way for a little while.
Recently the government has been persuaded by public opinion to start monitoring for the smaller (2.5) particulates that are the most harmful. They’ve set up monitoring stations, but only in very carefully selected locations often far outside of town, so the reports are unsurprisingly very low.
If you are susceptible to air pollution it’s wise to wear a filter mask, particularly if you’ve going to be doing something active like riding a bicycle or jogging. The Beijingers walking about in masks tend to be those with colds and fevers rather than worried about the pollution.
January 2013
13th January the air quality reached a new high (low?) of 764 out of 500
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