Image: istockphoto.com/Tor Lindqvist
IOC gives thumbs up
Chinese officials are referring to the haze as “fog” and “dust.” Another Beijing environment office said the overcast skies are from stormy weather. Pollution is never mentioned.
Arne Ljungqvist, chairman of the IOC medical commission, said at the ongoing 120th IOC session Tuesday: "We are using World Health Organization (WHO) standards for evaluation ... They are fairly tough to meet, but in many aspects, Beijing does."
One particular problem
One aspect that Beijing does not meet WHO standards is around particulate matter (PM10). These miniscule airborne particles are caused from burning fossil fuels such as coal or gasoline. PM10 particulates are too small to be filtered out by the nose and throat. Instead, they can settle into the bronchi and lungs causing health problems such as asthma and lung disease.
PM10 levels are of special concern for Olympic athletes who are pushing their heart and lungs to the maximum, taking in up to 21 percent more oxygen than the average person.
Missing the standard
The WHO air quality PM10 guideline level is 50 micrograms/cubic metre with an interim target for developing countries set at 150 micrograms/cubic metre.
According to independent readings being done by the BBC, Beijing levels range from anywhere from 79 micrograms/cubic metre up to 250 micrograms/cubic metre.
Chinese officials were critical of the BBC's monitoring efforts and were particularly upset over the pictures of the Beijing skies published on their website.
But that may have something to do with the differences in results. The BBC readings are often higher than the official readings. For instance, the August 6th BBC PM10 reading was 186 micrograms per cubic metre while the Chinese reading was 84 micrograms per cubic metre.
The BBC did point out they were taking the readings only once a day.
Different set of rules
The discrepancies may also have to do with the criteria used for judging air quality. Beijing doesn’t follow the international standards and for them an "optimal blue sky day" is any day with an air pollution index below 100, even if the sun can’t be seen.
Beijing feels it has made progress since back in 1998 when air quality started being monitored there were only 100 “blue sky days.”
In 2007 there were 246.
Shelagh McNally is the editor of Green Living Online. She will be rooting for our underfunded Canadian athletes.
Green Living Network
