Up in the Air

By Guest Blogger Bo Durkop

Of great interest during the 2008 Olympics has been the hazy mist occupying the city of Beijing. Chinese officials have put forth their best efforts to diffuse the situation, reducing traffic and shutting down factories throught the city. Despite these efforts, the poor air quality in Beijing remains a sore spot, something the Chinese government has spent billions of dollars trying to avoid.

At best, the air quality in Beijing is not good. Similar to Los Angeles, Beijing sits in a basin which allows air to stagnate. The pollution levels are six times higher than those recorded during the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta, GA. The pollution level is 2-7 times higher than the average for a large U.S. metropolitan area.

The air quality in Beijing has been burdensome to the athletes. The use of respitory masks has become widespread, as athletes attempt to circumvent any underlying consequence which might result from the poor aire quality. Nearly 1/3 of cyclist have withdrawn from Saturday’s road race, citing air quality as their primary concern. Various athlete have voiced out on the subject.

An excerpt taken from the blog of athlete Kara Goucher provides further insight into the situation:

“I have to say that the pollution and smog in Beijing is much, much worse than I imagined. It’s a bit eerie how the sun never comes out all day. If you arew alking around the village and you look ahead, you can’t see all of the buildings. The pollution creates a fog that clouds over everything. It is unimaginable. I am shocked by how bad it is.”

Recent showers have provided some relief. However, this relief is generally temporary, as a simple rain shower cannot repair the damaging and lasting effects left behind from years of neglect.