Olympics ‘08: Just How Bad Is Air Quality In Beijing?

With less than two weeks until the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing’s air quality is the poorest its been in months

Even with the Chinese government’s plan to limit emissions sources, officials haven’t seen positive results. During the opening ceremony of the Athletes’ Village on Saturday, the housing complex was invisible from the main Olympic Green, only a short distance away.

The Chinese Government is considering an “Emergency Green Plan” that will “stop all construction in the city and neighboring areas, shut down more factories, and pull more vehicles from the streets” in a last ditch effort to drastically improve air quality, as endurance athletes like Paula Radcliffe, a long distance runner that holds 10 world records, expressed a real concern for her long-term health.

According to the WSJ, “U.S. Olympic Committee is distributing a high-tech mask, developed in secrecy, to its more than 600 Olympians” but for now, athletes must take a wait and see approach as many will spend the days leading up to the Opening Ceremony in Japan and South Korea, to avoid the poor air for as long as possible.

carg0 says:
Tue, 29th Jul 2008 2:02 pm

what a f*ing disgrace…

the government treats their own people with about the same regard they have for their own enviroment but yea, sure let’s host the Olympics down there, why the f*ck not?

just try to cut back on the whole ‘breathing’ thing, k?

daniel says:
Wed, 30th Jul 2008 5:03 am

its not that bad. all you fucking pussies need to chill out! citizens in Beijing have been living there their whole lives, and the city’s rate of illnesses caused by pollution or smog is not any significantly higher than that of any other superpower counties. it would be really pathetic to blame your loss in this event on the weather in the near future.

USukAss says:
Wed, 30th Jul 2008 9:08 pm

Hey Daniel, giving support to our red enemies? You a chink or something? China should be sanctioned more so than Iran for what they are doing to the environment (aka OUR environment) regardless of whether or not pollution related illnesses are significantly higher or not. All those slant eyed fools should also be sent back to their own country. I’m so sick of the yellow disesase that is plague to our nation’s education system and work force. SEND THE CHINKS HOME!!!!

Marco Rincones says:
Wed, 6th Aug 2008 1:47 pm

And we worry about not using our lawn mowers too often because we are told that they foul our air…!!! Do we not share the planet’s air in the big picture of things?