Shanghai Air Pollution
PM10 and PM2.5
Whilst we might holistically judge daily air pollution
by asking, "Can I see Alaska Pudong from my house?", a more
scientific method measures the number of micrograms of PM10 and PM2.5
(particles measuring less than 10 micrometres and 2.5 micrometres respectively)
per cubic metre.
These particles are caused by dust or emissions from
vehicles, factories, construction sites and coal combustion. Fine particulates
(PM2.5) can penetrate lungs and enter the bloodstream, making them the most
detrimental to health. As you'd expect, chronic exposure leads to an increased
risk of lots of nasty things, particularly heart disease and lung cancer.
Unfortunately, due to the government's convenient lack
of data on PM2.5 levels (soon to be rectified), we're unable to analyze the
findings in direct relation to Shanghai, but we can use it to draw comparable
conclusions about our Shmoggy™ neighbor to the north, Beijing.
Before we look at the facts, it is important to note
that the capital's PM10 levels are higher than Shanghai's, and it's PM2.5
levels are likely to be too. The reason is geographical: Shanghai is by the
sea, which helps to rapidly clear the air, while Beijing lies in a valley
surrounded by mountains.
So next time you fumble your way to the metro with
less visibility in front of you than a Boeing in a bad storm, just remember
that at least you aren't living in Beijing.
How does air pollution affect life expectancy?
Unfortunately, we can safely say that prolonged
exposure to extreme air pollution leads to premature death - The World Health
Organization estimated in 2007 that 656,000 Chinese die prematurely each year
from ailments caused by indoor and outdoor air pollution - but exactly how much
closer to the grave does it put us?
In 2009, one authoritative study found a decrease of
10 micrograms per cubic metre in a city's fine-particulate concentration was
associated with an estimated increase in life expectancy of approximately 0.6
years.
Therefore, if we were able to remove all other
factors, people living in Beijing would theoretically die five years younger
than people living in America's most polluted city, Los Angeles.
The figure of course doesn't apply to officials who
can't live without their own private Air Supply.
How does air pollution relate to lung disease and
heart disease?
In contrast, Dr Richard Saint Cyr of My Health Beijing
believes that the life expectancy figures may be misleading.
Instead, Dr Saint Cyr gauges the effects of air
pollution by analyzing the percentage increases in the likelihood of developing
diseases. In the case of Beijing, Dr Saint Cyr calculates that long-term living
in the capital causes a 49% increase in lung cancer and 32% increase in heart
disease deaths (when compared to perfectly clean air).
According to the World Health Organization's latest
PM2.5 statistics, living in Beijing is thus significantly more lethal than
other metropolises, including L.A. (12% and 19% respectively), London (11% and
19%), and Paris (17% and 21%).
To take a different (less scary) perspective, another
study revealed that an individual spending 24 hours in Beijing will inhale 15%
of a cigarette's worth of PM2.5. In other words, Beijing living is equivalent
to smoking less than 1/6 of a cigarette each day.
Then again, it isn't much of a stretch to just go
ahead and declare that the statistic is closer to at least 1/2 of a cigarette
for the equivalent amount of PM2.5 people inhale in a day, since inhaling
second-hand smoke is still prevalent in much of China.
And believe us, being next to spirals of cigarette
smoke isn't nearly as sexy as Wong Kar-Wai and Mad Men make it seem.
In Shanghai, restaurant hygiene is denoted with a
reassuring smiley faces. Could a similar system be used for air quality?
Is the air pollution actually getting better?
Beijing reported that 77.3% of days were 'blue sky
days' over the past two years, which sounds lovely, but don't break out the
picnic blankets just yet.
Applying EU standards to the same period shows that
only 17.7% of those days would be considered 'medium' or 'low' pollution.
The government claims pollution levels have decreased,
with the number of so-called 'blue sky days' increasing annually for 13
consecutive years being trotted out as evidence. However, research conducted
over the past decade has shown PM2.5 levels increasing by 3-4% annually.
Added to this, Beijing lost its place in our
environmental circle of trust when it shut down its two most polluted
monitoring stations to raise its 'score' in 2006. In 2008 it even began
monitoring from beyond the 6th ring road, 15-20km away from the city centre.
Cheeky, Beijing, very cheeky.
Possibly more revealing than the shifty air quality
statistics is the fact that Beijing's lung cancer rate has risen by 60% over
the past decade, despite smoking rates remaining flat. "Increasing air
pollution might be largely blamed for that," said Zhi Xiuyi, director of
the Lung Cancer Treatment Center at Capital Medical University.
What's being done to decrease air pollution?
Thankfully, the government is now reportedly putting
pressure on local authorities to tackle the problem.
In 2012, PM2.5 monitoring stations are to be
introduced to 30 cities nationwide (including Shanghai), and last November the
Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) announced that public opinion would
soon be used to assess the performance of local governments on environmental
protection.
If logo ideas are needed, we'd suggest going with
something similar to the smiley face, unhappy face, disinterested face system
used for hygiene levels in restaurants, except with normal face, surgical mask
face, and Culturally Insensitive Olympian-style gas mask face instead.
So, in conclusion, this city may be gradually killing
us all, but the health implications probably aren't as bad as the 'facts'
you've previously heard. The random guy who told you that the pollution in
Shanghai would give an adult elephant seven types of cancer in three hours (or
something similar) didn't actually know what he was talking about.
