Buildings are shrouded in haze and smog in Beijing's central business district July 18, 2008. (Reuters)
Posted on 07/21/2008 7:25:06 PM PDT by JACKRUSSELL
A study published in China alleges that air quality near the main Olympic venues fails the government's own "safe" target for dust particles on most days.
The authorities say that air quality now nearly always meets overall pollution targets. Days that do are called "blue sky days".
In a last ditch effort to ensure unbroken "blue sky days" for next month's Games, the authorities yesterday implemented a final shutdown of heavily polluting industries across the city and neighbouring provinces. They also banned cars from the streets on alternate days, depending on whether their licence plates are odd or even.
They cite the success of a similar driving ban implemented as a test during August last year.
But the authors of the study, from the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, took independent readings following the earlier driving ban. Concentrations of three pollutants - sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide - were low or acceptable, they found.
But those of two of the most important as far as runners are concerned, ozone and "particulates" such as fine dust, were "much higher than the values of the standard".
Pollution has been the single greatest worry for the International Olympic Committee, which has generally been lavish in its praise of Beijing's preparations.
But the authorities have reassured them with their statistics for "blue sky days", to the extent that the British Olympic Association says it thinks the hot and humid climate will be a greater challenge.
Of the first 17 days of this month, 16 met Chinese "level two" standards, the formal target for a "blue sky" day. For August last month, the key comparison for the Olympics, the figure was 28 days out of 31.
These readings often surprise visitors to Beijing, who are shocked by the smog visible even on......
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Buildings are shrouded in haze and smog in Beijing's central business district July 18, 2008. (Reuters)
I need an inhaler just looking at that pic! :o
They’re going to have to issue gas masks to the olympians.
Who needs a scientist to tell you Beijing has air pollution. Anyone that grew up in Southern California in the 70’s can tell you what the stuff is.
They are doing what they can to solve the problem -taking cars off the road, shutting down factories and other sources of air pollution.
Any athlete, however, that is used to training in pristine air is not going to find it in Beijing.
NEXT QUESTION: When will we start seeing reports about how hot and humid it will be during the Olypics?
Lookin good! And just imagine, this is after a month of shutting down most of the major polluters around the city. Just imagine what it looks like on a normal day.
This olympics is going to go down in history as one of the biggest cluster@#$%s of the history of the games.
Followed by a close second with the russian winter games coming up in 2014 in a town called Sochi where the villages sewer system explodes regularly. Putin and his Oligarchs running the Kremlin are seizing all the land around the area for themselves. Land that farmers and business men who have worked there for generations owned, but the Kremlin goonsquads have already been unleashed on them and they are running for their lives out of there with 0 compensation.
The mountains ski-lift system resembles something you saw in the 1950’s. The budget has already doubled since they got the games.
But like the IOC gives a rats ass. They all got some nice briefcases under the table and the best call girls money can buy. So to them, who cares where it is? I’m sure Zimbabwe is already in the running for the 2016 summer games.
Make that a MONGOLIAN cluster@#$%s -- literally.
Remember where they are.
Cheers!
Radar detects NO^2, CO, unburned hydrocarbons, etc coming out a tailpipe?
Or, do they mean ALL their vehicles pollute, and radar detects EVERY vehicle on the road? LOL!
Leading to the obvious results...
Baghdad 2016!!! ;)
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