Winter Pollution – Warnings and Health Options

Our favorite doctor blogger Dr Richard likes keeping us on our toes, reminding us to keep tabs on our health while in Beijing. Today he posted a somber blog reminding us just how harmful pollution can be.

Dr Richard’s latest post “Yes, Short-Term Pollution Can Hurt — Here’s Graphic Proof” takes a graphic approach to warning us about the dangers of air pollution. AQI numbers and verbal warnings are all well and good but a simple graph can really drive the message home:

The graph refers to the spike in pollution, and corresponding spike in deaths, that occurred in December 1952 during London’s smog disaster which was a result of heavy coal combustion in and around the city.

Although London’s air at that time was actually much worse than Beijing’s today, the atmosphere in China’s capital is far from healthy. As Dr Richard posted earlier this week, winter is the most polluted time of the year here, and those most at risk are people with heart or respiratory conditions. The graph above, however, should serve as a reminder to everyone to take care of their health while living in Beijing.

And there are plenty of options. We’ve linked to several of Dr Richard’s suggestions from low-cost air purifiers to plants that naturally do the work. Proper masks are something everyone should have, and the N95 is a great option that can be picked up at places like Jenny Lou’s or delivered in bulk via Taobao.