11-6-2009 ; 07:00 ; Latest Hour ; 0.321 ; 441 ; Hazardous ; Today’s Avg ; 0.400 ; 500 ; Hazardous17 minutes ago from API
11-6-2009 ; 06:00 ; Latest Hour ; 0.297 ; 393 ; Hazardous ; Today’s Avg ; 0.411 ; 500 ; Hazardousabout 1 hour ago from API
11-6-2009 ; 05:00 ; Latest Hour ; 0.313 ; 425 ; Hazardous ; Today’s Avg ; 0.430 ; 500 ; Hazardousabout 2 hours ago from API
11-6-2009 ; 04:00 ; Latest Hour ; 0.378 ; 500 ; Hazardous ; Today’s Avg ; 0.453 ; 500 ; Hazardousabout 3 hours ago from API
11-6-2009 ; 03:00 ; Latest Hour ; 0.440 ; 500 ; Hazardous ; Today’s Avg ; 0.472 ; 500 ; Hazardousabout 4 hours ago from API
11-6-2009 ; 02:00 ; Latest Hour ; 0.458 ; 500 ; Hazardous ; Today’s Avg ; 0.483 ; 500 ; Hazardousabout 5 hours ago from API
11-6-2009 ; 01:00 ; Latest Hour ; 0.478 ; 500 ; Hazardous ; Today’s Avg ; 0.495 ; 500 ; Hazardousabout 6 hours ago from API
11-6-2009 ; 00:00 ; Latest Hour ; 0.511 ; 500 ; Hazardous ; Today’s Avg ; 0.511 ; 500 ; Hazardousabout 7 hours ago from API
11-6-2009 ; 23:00 ; Latest Hour ; 0.503 ; 500 ; Hazardous ; Today’s Avg ; 0.261 ; 321 ; Hazardousabout 8 hours ago from API
11-5-2009 ; 22:00 ; Latest Hour ; 0.455 ; 500 ; Hazardous ; Today’s Avg ; 0.251 ; 301 ; Hazardousabout 9 hours ago from API
The above is part of a pollution report my husband, Erik, sent me yesterday with a note saying, “Stay inside!” When the air quality index is between 301 and 500, as it has been in Beijing all week, it means conditions are hazardous. The US Embassy tracks the level of pollution in Beijing on an hourly basis and posts results on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/beijingair). Though Twitter is one of many sites blocked in China, Erik is able to access it at work and sends me reports when the pollution is particularly bad or good.
He didn’t need to send me the report. When air becomes hazardous to breath, you don’t need numbers to tell you. So how do you know? Your eyes burn, your throat hurts, and your chest aches. I have mild asthma, which used to mean using an inhaler every 18 to 24 months when I got too close to a cat. It now means using a preventative inhaler twice a day and on days like today, carrying a different inhaler to use in case of emergency.
Many people are addicted to Beijing and I get it. It’s a vibrant, dynamic city with a lot to offer both locals and foreigners alike. Still, when I hear people – parents – say that they want to stay here as long as possible, I always take pause. The effects of pollution are cumulative, but one doesn’t have to search too hard to learn about what the long term effects of breathing dangerous air might be.
My daughter, on the other hand, awaits heavy pollution days with bated breath. The other day, she asked, “Mommy, when will we have pollution again?” Upon questioning, I learned that on particularly bad days, her school keeps the little ones inside and lets them watch episodes of “Little Einsteins” rather than play outdoors.
Yesterday, as I walked to Elisa’s bus I paused to look around. As I surveyed the landscape around me, the brownish haze made it feel as if I were viewing the world through a sepia filter. It was odd to think that the hazardous air around me would be the source of my daughter’s good spirits. Sure enough, she stepped off the bus with a huge smile, “Mommy! There’s pollution today! We got to watch “The Einsteins!” Not exactly the cultural experience I was looking for when we moved to Beijing.