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Olympic air worse than reported

Tuesday, 23rd June 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Air quality at the 2008 Olympics was worse than previously reported, according to new research compiled jointly by U.S. and Chinese universities.

Particulate air pollution during the games exceeded excessive levels as defined by the World Health Organization, and was 30 percent worse than Chinese environmental experts have said, according to a report published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. The research was conducted by scientists from Oregon State University and Peking University, and funded by the National Science Foundation in the United States and the National Science Foundation of China.

Nature's own cleaning agents may have done more to clear the air than the well-reported man-made efforts employed last year by Beijing, says Staci Simonich, an OSU associate professor of environmental and molecular toxicology: "It was some evening rains and favorable shifts in the winds that provided the most relief from the pollution."

View the complete study here A photographic account of pollution during the games, from the Oregon State researchers, is available on Flickr.

Tags: 2008 Olympics, Beijing Olympics, pollution

Yes, we have no blue skies

Wednesday, 30th July 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

The skies over Beijing looked pretty good for a few days after new traffic rules aimed at curbing pollution went into effect almost two weeks ago. But the blue skies were soon replaced with a soupy brown that's more familiar to Beijingers.

This report from the Wall Street Journal's Shai Oster takes a look at what's been done, and the possibility of more drastic measures in the days to come. The story also includes a chart that tracks Beijing's pollution over the past three and a half years. For an up-to-date measure of the capital's pollution, check out the Beijing Air Quality widget on the Journal's China blog.

Time to clear things up has all but run out—the Olympic Village welcomed its first guests Sunday under hazy skies and CCTV showed footage today of athletes from various sports arriving at the airport.

Teams are taking measures to mitigate the effects of bad air. Australian track and field athletes will skip the Opening Ceremony to avoid a night breathing more Beijing air. And many foreign teams are training outside of Beijing until a day or two before competition begins.

Tags: Beijing Olympics, pollution