Yesterday marked the worst readings I have seen on the China Air Quality Index. We've gotten pretty used to seeing numbers in the 200-300 range and occasionally into the 400's but the numbers yesterday left all of that, literally, in the dust. Chengdu has not had rain in several months creating very dusty conditions which only adds to the particulate matter. I googled PM(particulate matter)2.5-10 because I wanted to know what exactly we are putting ourselves at risk for. This is what Wikipedia had to say...
"The effects of inhaling particulate matter that have been widely studied in humans and animals now include asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular issues, respiratory diseases, birth defects, and premature death. The size of the particle is a main determinant of where in the respiratory tract the particle will come to rest when inhaled. Because of their small size, particles on the order of ~10 micrometers or less (PM10) can penetrate the deepest part of the lungs such as the bronchioles or alveoli.[38] Larger particles are generally filtered in the nose and throat via cilia and mucus, but particulate matter smaller than about 10 micrometers, referred to as PM10, can settle in the bronchi and lungs and cause health problems. The 10 micrometer size does not represent a strict boundary between respirable and non-respirable particles, but has been agreed upon for monitoring of airborne particulate matter by most regulatory agencies. Similarly, particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers, PM2.5, tend to penetrate into the gas exchange regions of the lung, and very small particles (< 100 nanometers) may pass through the lungs to affect other organs."
The US Consulate only takes the reading for the PM2.5 because those particles are the most hazardous to us and that reading determines whether the children at my kids' school have inside or outside recess. Anything 300 or above and they stay inside.
Breathing the air yesterday was like walking down a gravel road in the middle of July with trucks driving back and forth kicking up dust with the added bonus of sucking on an exhaust pipe. Sounds healthy right?
Regardless of particle size, I think a reading of 1017 is over the top atrocious and continued crap like that will certainly have us packing our bags for home at the end of June.
"The effects of inhaling particulate matter that have been widely studied in humans and animals now include asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular issues, respiratory diseases, birth defects, and premature death. The size of the particle is a main determinant of where in the respiratory tract the particle will come to rest when inhaled. Because of their small size, particles on the order of ~10 micrometers or less (PM10) can penetrate the deepest part of the lungs such as the bronchioles or alveoli.[38] Larger particles are generally filtered in the nose and throat via cilia and mucus, but particulate matter smaller than about 10 micrometers, referred to as PM10, can settle in the bronchi and lungs and cause health problems. The 10 micrometer size does not represent a strict boundary between respirable and non-respirable particles, but has been agreed upon for monitoring of airborne particulate matter by most regulatory agencies. Similarly, particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers, PM2.5, tend to penetrate into the gas exchange regions of the lung, and very small particles (< 100 nanometers) may pass through the lungs to affect other organs."
The US Consulate only takes the reading for the PM2.5 because those particles are the most hazardous to us and that reading determines whether the children at my kids' school have inside or outside recess. Anything 300 or above and they stay inside.
Breathing the air yesterday was like walking down a gravel road in the middle of July with trucks driving back and forth kicking up dust with the added bonus of sucking on an exhaust pipe. Sounds healthy right?
Regardless of particle size, I think a reading of 1017 is over the top atrocious and continued crap like that will certainly have us packing our bags for home at the end of June.
not
