Laura Corin Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Hazardous at over 500. He's wearing a mask, but it's not a great place for someone with asthma. Chicago, by comparison, is at 29. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Whoa! Thanks for the link---we start our June China trip in Beijing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I'm sorry. I studied Mandarin back in undergrad, and two of my friends ended up going to Beijing--they both commented on the air quality. One was at BeiDa in the late 80s and commented on how bad the pollution was. The other was there in the early 90s, and told me that there was actually a condition known as "Beijing Lung" because of the horrible air quality. No idea if it's gotten better or worse since then, my guess is worse. I always dread going to Cairo as it has really bad pollution, but nothing compared to Beijing. (They say living in Cairo is like smoking a pack of cigarettes each day.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Yep. Most large cities in Asia are pretty horrible. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Holy Toledo I didn't know it was that bad! Hope it doesn't affect him too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Yuck. I'd love to live in China for many reasons, but so many of the cities have such horrible air quality that I hope we don't. Of course, I'm sitting in Mexico City right now... Edited to add that we went to to a restaurant with an outdoor balcony last night. It turned out the balcony was the smoking area and that children weren't allowed to sit there because that, but I couldn't really see the need for the rule when the air is so bad here in the first place. Sitting a few tables away from someone who was smoking really wouldn't make a difference in this city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Yuck. I'd love to live in China for many reasons, but so many of the cities have such horrible air quality that I hope we don't. Of course, I'm sitting in Mexico City right now... Kunming isn't bad - not much industry and a nice city in general. Most other Chinese cities are pretty frightening. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 I'm sorry. I studied Mandarin back in undergrad, and two of my friends ended up going to Beijing--they both commented on the air quality. One was at BeiDa in the late 80s and commented on how bad the pollution was. The other was there in the early 90s, and told me that there was actually a condition known as "Beijing Lung" because of the horrible air quality. No idea if it's gotten better or worse since then, my guess is worse. I always dread going to Cairo as it has really bad pollution, but nothing compared to Beijing. (They say living in Cairo is like smoking a pack of cigarettes each day.) I was in Beijing from '85-'86. The pollution was bad but it was different - heating and cooking were accomplished by burning poor quality coal. Now it's mostly industrial pollution plus cars - I believe that is worse because the particles are smaller, but I might be wrong. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeannpal Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 We lived in Guangzhou last year and the pollution was horrible. Part of the reason we returned to the U.S. was my daughter's severe allergies and asthmatic caough she developed and could not get rid of. Otherwise, we enjoyed living in China. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Kunming isn't bad - not much industry and a nice city in general. Most other Chinese cities are pretty frightening. L I'd love to go to Kunming, but Dh's company doesn't have an office there. Kashgar is #1 on my list of places I probably won't ever get to live in China though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 When we visited Beijing in 2010, I felt very very depressed because of the air. It has been worse and worse each year. Avoid going there if you can. When we went again in 2013, I was prepared for the worst. We only had a layover in Beijing. The air in the airport when you just landed was hard to describe; it smelled poisonous inside the building. Outside it looked so slogged you couldn't see anything clearly. I feel very sad for my family that live in China. I have a few of my closest friends living in Beijing. One even chose to raise his kids there even though he is a naturalized American citizen. I don't think any good education options there would make me willing to sacrifice my kids' health for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 My friends are seconded to Beijing (the hub works for Amazon). You can see for yourself: http://hernameisdragon.blogspot.mx/2012/02/black-and-blue.html http://hernameisdragon.blogspot.mx/2011/10/500-is-when-canary-dies.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Dh went to Beijing in January and came home with a horrible cough. He's not used to that kind of air pollution even though he visits Mexico DF often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 My friends are seconded to Beijing (the hub works for Amazon). You can see for yourself: http://hernameisdragon.blogspot.mx/2012/02/black-and-blue.html http://hernameisdragon.blogspot.mx/2011/10/500-is-when-canary-dies.html Holy crud. ...adds mask shopping to pre trip to-do list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Holy crud. ...adds mask shopping to pre trip to-do list It's always bad, but just how bad it is depends on the weather. Beijing is very dry, so there's not that much rain to knock the pollution out of the sky. In the spring it's windy, with the wind coming from the Gobi Desert. I would guess that the pollution is a little better then, but being sandblasted isn't much fun either. Honestly, the combination of the smog and the climate makes it a very difficult place to live. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 It's always bad, but just how bad it is depends on the weather. Beijing is very dry, so there's not that much rain to knock the pollution out of the sky. In the spring it's windy, with the wind coming from the Gobi Desert. I would guess that the pollution is a little better then, but being sandblasted isn't much fun either. Honestly, the combination of the smog and the climate makes it a very difficult place to live. L In early November of 1988, I was in Beijing for a week looking for jobs and interviews. I got accepted by several universities, but because of the high wind and dust combination, I opted to go to Guanzhou in the end instead, which proved nicer, intolerably hot and humid though. I really feel pity for people who live in Beijing. I can't believe their swaggering pride show offs breathing that air! Let them be proud of being BJers; I am content to be a humble good-air breather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Yikes. I had a friend who was a PhD in atmospheric physics, and he said we (the US) can recycle/go green all we want, but unless we got China on board, it is a drop in the bucket and would make close to NO difference in the long run for "planetary health." He was very progressive and environmental, but he was seeing the big picture. I don't know if he's right, but this number is shocking. I hope your husband can stay safe and healthy. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Yikes. I had a friend who was a PhD in atmospheric physics, and he said we (the US) can recycle/go green all we want, but unless we got China on board, it is a drop in the bucket and would make close to NO difference in the long run for "planetary health." He was very progressive and environmental, but he was seeing the big picture. I don't know if he's right, but this number is shocking. I hope your husband can stay safe and healthy. :( I agree. Instead of feeling comfortable with the clean air we can breathe here, we need to be proactive to deal with air pollution in other countries. Eventually, it will hurt all of us if we sit and do nothing about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I live in the SF Bay area and something like 25% of our air pollution is from China. :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nart Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I love the picture in this Wall Street journal article from yesterday with the man and his dog as they walk in Beijing. http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/BL-CJB-20825 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Just yuk! I hope Laura's dh stays healthy on his business trip. My allergies acted up hanging out with my brothers last week and they didn't even smoke near me, they just smell like it. Pretty sure Beijing would be a very bad idea for me and many others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 What kind of mask does he have? A plain one or one with a carbon filter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Pollution blocking out the sun and stunting crops. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 There are so many places on earth I won't be ever visiting because pollution is my probably my biggest asthma trigger. When we were stationed in Sacramento, my kids thought it was cool that I always knew when a pollution alert would be called since back then I would start wheezing at 90. With perimenopause, it changed to about 85. After this latest bout of pneumonia, who knows how low? Mrs. Mungo, are there places your family avoids visiting because of your son's problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 What kind of mask does he have? A plain one or one with a carbon filter? I don't know - I suspect he bought whatever the hotel had available, not wanting to spend time outside searching. For next time he goes, we'll research and buy a mask in advance. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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