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Breathing the Olympics, Chinese version, 2008 -- is potentially hazardous to your health.

by Les Porter

Paid inclusion

But they have been trying to clean it up.

The "big ones" in the breathing difficulty game -- of significant health concern: < p>

SO2 -- sulfur dioxide
NO2 -- nitrogen dioxide
CO -- carbon monoxide
PM10 -- aerial particulates less than 10 micrometers diameter

Beijing's Olympic organizers, back then, in 2001, "promised" that the city's four major aerial pollutants would be reduced to meet the World Health Organization (WHO) 2008 limit guidelines. Right. It did NOT happen.

What to do? Of course! Move the Target!

In 2004, Beijing's Olympic officials moved the target, saying they would reduce aerial particulates to a level comparable with other major cities (catch 22.1) in the " countries of the developing world." In another liguistic attempt to appear to deal with health concerns, officials new tropospheric ozone (That wicked lung-burner of the industrial realm that sunlight shaves away from the NO2) levels would meet China's Air Standards, more lenient that those of the WHO.

So in another linguistic economic twist, Beijing's very own Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB), stated that 2007's SO2 concentrations were lowered by 60.8% from the figures of 1998. The EPB claimed PM10 had declined 17.8% and that NO2 was down by 10.8%, These figures in reality were obtained between 1998 and 2001, rather than recently since in the 1998 -2001 time frame, hundreds of (Mercury vapor anyone) dangerously noxious coal-fired power-plants plants were shut off or those left "on" were fitted with scrubbers

According to Richard Stone writing for Science , an environmental consultant in Washington, D.C, Steven Q. Andrews, has scrutinized Beijing's air-quality data, and says "gains" in air quality in recent years are an illusion. He says, "Pollution levels have not decreased at all,"

In the last week, the China Air Standards group (Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences) asserts their data show efforts of the last few months have caused SO2 and NO2 levels to be below WHO limits. Ozone (from the NO2) which is claimed to have been reduced, is still a lung problem, as well as those pesky particulate aerosols which are currently running at three times the WHO limit of 50 micrograms / m3 (50 micrograms per cubic meter versus China's ~150 micrograms per cubic meter air standard.)

That lung-burning ozone level remains high. Most nations have increased restrictions on ozone in recent years, but China raised its hourly ozone standard from 160 to 200 micrograms / m3 in 2000; WHO's 8-hour average is 100 micrograms/m3.

The governmental order for the removing of a million cars from Beijing's streets for the next 2 months should have on effect, and reduce these pollutants.

Can YOU hold your breath through the Olympics?

Beijing population is now about 16 million. There were estimated to be 411,000 bad-air related premature deaths in 2003 in China.

Some Chinese officials have hinted their newest tool for cleaning the air might be prayer -- since a few cleansing rains, a few cool winds might "blue" the Beijing sky for the party. Prayer is something they don't much acknowledge as a force in the Chinese world. Fighting for emission controls on CO2 will not be much help for the current games -- but a successful weather-prayer might payoff. (Rain-dancers should probably contact the Chinese embassy and query about employment on a short term in Beijing. (Write a good contract with a protected Escape-to-the-West clause for no rain. Unless you are willing to bet your freedom and life on your rain-dancing pro)

There have been cities hosting the Olympics who have actually had worse aerial pollutants in the recent past, Hard black London Air of 1948, Tokyo still strongly industrializing in 1964, and possibly the most recent gold medal for bad air in the modern era could go to Mexico City in 1968 -- on its way to becoming the un-controlled super-city it is today.

In recent years, the "pollution-mentoring city" of Los Angeles Olympic marathon course ran along the seaside as much as possible in 1984 avoiding city "smog" -- while both Athens 2004 and Atlanta 1996 had very high ozone levels. China remains the most polluted nation of the modern era. Look, 1.3 billion humans can be absolutely destructive. Industrialization on steroids.

Most of the athletes will have to breathe several times while performing. They could make a statement by wearing filter masks until forced to breathe in competition.

If you go, pray for northwesterly winds, rain and "cool" days, It might help to breathe through a 6-micron filter.

Or take clean oxygen with you. Just to breathe, easy.

Okay. As I post this today, China is reporting that:

SO2 -- sulfur dioxide [Below WHO standards]
NO2 -- nitrogen dioxide [Below WHO Standards]
CO -- carbon monoxide [Coming down with traffic reductions, but be careful]
PM10 -- aerial particulates less than 10 micrometers diameter [Still elevated.]

I suggest "optimistic caution." You know, "smile" under the oxygen mask!