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Friday, March 8th
Pollution: 346
Quote:Cat stays indoors today….You should see about getting a cat mask. Pollution masks for pets could be a lucrative business for wealthy, unmarried Chinese.
Quote:Ha, Beijing’s only at 284. Suck it!If you’re going to boast about Beijing’s air quality at least wait for one of the days when it’s really low!
Seems today, Chengdu bumped over 900 several times……..
Brutal. I’m really curious about the actual breakdown of what the particles are, whether it’s dust from construction or much more harmful chemicals.
If you look at the levels for the past week, it looks as if factories have turned to working at night and on sundays…
Although Beijing is known abroad as one of the most polluted cities in the world, Chengdu is much worse. In Beijing, they have the odd peak (over 500 AQI), but the next day things are back to very nice again (with many readings under 50). In Chengdu, we are at a constant average of about 150-200, and the average is rising. Between september 2012 and now there have only been 10 days in Chengdu with a reading below 100, and none below 50. If you are talking health effects, you can avoid a bad day outdoors in Beijing, while you cannot in Chengdu. Beijing is the capital, and the place where all the reporters are, so it gets all the attention. But I’m amazed at how many CD residents still seem to think it is better here than in Beijing.
Quote:But I’m amazed at how many CD residents still seem to think it is better here than in Beijing.That is interesting to hear, because Beijing’s pollution is so frequently higher than Chengdu’s. Until about 6 months ago the pollution was much higher in Beijing on a daily basis than in Chengdu, so I think a comparison between the two is something dynamic that is always changing. You’re right about the wind in Beijing clearing it out, which is something that Chengdu doesn’t have. A friend of mine moved from Chengdu to Sanlitun in Beijing in 2012 and told me that he missed the air in Chengdu and that Beijing was much worse.
Side note: I’ve been stuck with the ‘lingering’ cough again since Sunday afternoon. You know… the one that sits nice and low in your lungs and takes forever to cough up. Thank you China.
Just read the US Consulate’s AQI reading-181. Another source (http://www.aqicn.info/city/chengdu/) says 437 updated Wed, Mar 13th, at 9am.
Quote:Just read the US Consulate’s AQI reading-181. Another source (http://www.aqicn.info/city/chengdu/) says 437 updated Wed, Mar 13th, at 9am.The US Consulate figure is the one that I go by, but the local government figures have been higher recently because they include PM10 which we speculate is due to fields burning for agricultural reasons just outside of Chengdu (as discussed in this thread).
Hopefully it clears up soon, since last weekend it’s been smelling like something is burning in Chengdu on and off. The US figures have been hovering around 200 throughout the morning, it was 204 when I took the photograph this morning at 8:30am.
I read somewhere that the govt. has given the cities 18 years (!) to reach the environmental targets. There seems to be an acceptance of “we are a developing country. All developing countries go thru this, it’s unavoidable”…..
Quote:I read somewhere that the govt. has given the cities 18 years (!) to reach the environmental targets. There seems to be an acceptance of “we are a developing country. All developing countries go thru this, it’s unavoidable”…..Government: “Assuming we hit our goals, your grandkids will probably have nothing to worry about”
It’s an unfortunate fact that many people in the States don’t have a clue about air or water quality in other ‘developing’ parts of the world, and manage to complain bitterly about the perceived insults of attempts at protecting the environment. Of course, air doesn’t stay in one place. Sooner or later Chengdu, Beijing and other cities will share the joy, just as US cities do. Wow, though, the rate of pollution increase is pretty astounding. We were in Beijing in 2003, and it was bad at times, but this seems unreal. Where’s that Ronco Megalopolis Air Purifier when you need one?
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