Is Breathing in China as Bad as Smoking?

[Lil Mathew]

Today the air pollution was so thick in Harbin, in northern China, that visibility was reduced to fewer than 33 feet in some parts of the city. In response to the conditions -- which are equivalent to levels that exceed “hazardous” on the air-pollution measurement system used by the U.S. State Department in major Chinese cities -- Harbin shut down some schools, canceled flights and sent out relevant officials to stop polluting behavior.

That’s hardly sufficient.

Last week, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer announced that “outdoor air pollution” would henceforth be classified as “carcinogenic to humans.” The designation is shared with -- among other inhalable carcinogens -- tobacco smoke; the IARC’s news release notes “sufficient evidence that exposure to outdoor air pollution causes lung cancer,” as well as “a positive association with an increased risk of bladder cancer.”

None of this comes as any surprise in Beijing, another northern Chinese city, where cancer is the leading cause of death. Lung cancer is apparently the country’s leading, fast-growing variety of the disease: In 2008, an official with China’s Ministry of Health claimed that Chinese lung-cancer rates had risen 465 percent over the previous three decades -- a period that corresponds with both China’s economic revival and the transformation of its cities into some of the world’s most polluted places. (Reports from the IARC and others consistently point to Asia -- specifically, China and India -- as having among the world’s most serious air-pollution problems.)

Despite the fact that people in China’s cities instinctively know that the air is slowly killing them, there’s been precious little quality data showing a direct correlation between the opaque smog and mortality rates. A 2007 report by the World Bank was allegedly stripped of its more damning conclusions at the request of Chinese government departments. (The bank reportedly determined that up to 760,000 premature deaths related to air and water pollution occur in China annually.) Meanwhile, a spring 2013 report on global mortality trends estimated 1.2 million premature Chinese deaths in 2010 due to air pollution alone. Yet, for all of the benefit these studies may have brought, neither is the comprehensive, on-the-Chinese-ground study of pollution’s impact on human health.

The IARC’s decision to classify air pollution as a carcinogen isn’t a study, either. But its importance is less what it reveals, than the debate it opens up. Not so long ago Beijing’s government regularly labeled China’s choking smog as “fog” (a tradition revived by the Ladies Professional Golf Association during an October tournament) and thus circumvented the ability of its own people -- much less well-intentioned officials and researchers -- to even discuss the health effects. To be sure, some of those consequences were already well-known, including respiratory problems. But it’s one thing to look out the window, see gray skies and think, “I might have a respiratory problem,” and another entirely to think, “That’s giving me lung cancer.”

To its modest credit, the Chinese government -- and not just the city of Beijing -- is starting to take its air-pollution problems seriously. In September, it announced a comprehensive plan to control and slowly reduce air pollution across the country. On Oct. 16, Beijing announced emergency measures to reduce air pollution on particularly polluted days. On Saturday, Shanghai announced a similar program that includes school closings. (Harbin’s program is probably due any day.) So far these plans have not been designed to return China’s air to a consistently non-carcinogenic state. Thanks to the IARC, the Chinese public might start to demand that they do.


Is Breathing in China as Bad as Smoking? - Bloomberg

 

[BoQ77]

That's the most dangerous weapon China keep for their own harm.
to be the "No1 super power"

 

[navtrek]

I think its not only China but also India which has to take measures. In India's case we have not yet seen the worse because we don't manufacture much but if we do take the manufacturing path then we should make sure that all environment quality guidelines are followed.

Air pollution is a side effect of industrialization so we cant get away with it but we can minimize it.

 

[HariPrasad]

I think its not only China but also India which has to take measures. In India's case we have not yet seen the worse because we don't manufacture much but if we do take the manufacturing path then we should make sure that all environment quality guidelines are followed.

Air pollution is a side effect of industrialization so we cant get away with it but we can minimize it.

No man you are wrong. Delhi and Amadavad were very Polluted cities (No where near Harbin) but series of measures taken by respective governments have made them very clean and least polluted.

 

[[Bregs]]

when we develop into an an industrial base very fast some sort of sacrifices have to be made if due care is not taken from the begining

 

[StarCraft_ZT]

China to invest $277 billion to curb air pollution

(Reuters) - China plans to invest 1.7 trillion yuan ($277 billion) to combat air pollution over the next five years, state media said on Thursday, underscoring the new government's concerns about addressing a key source of social discontent.

The money is to be spent primarily in regions that have heavy air pollution and high levels of PM 2.5, the state-run China Daily newspaper quoted Wang Jinnan, vice-president of the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning as saying. Wang helped draft the plan.

Tiny floating particles, measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, are especially hazardous because they can settle in the lungs and cause respiratory problems and other illnesses.

The new plan specifically targets northern China, particularly Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, where air pollution is especially serious, the newspaper said.

The government plans to reduce air emissions by 25 percent by 2017 compared with 2012 levels in those areas, according to the report.

"The thick smog and haze that covered large areas of the country in January has focused public attention on this issue," Zhao Hualin, a senior official at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, told the newspaper.

China's State Council, its cabinet, approved the plan in June, Zhao said.

The newspaper said it was China's "most comprehensive and toughest plan to control and in some regions reduce air pollution by the year 2017".

The government plans to issue two more plans to address water pollution and improvements to the rural environment over the next five years, the report said.

In December 2012, China said it would spend 350 billion yuan ($56 billion) by 2015 to curb air pollution in major cities. The newspaper quoted Chai Fahe, vice-president of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, as saying that China's leaders realized, after releasing the plan in 2012, that a tougher approach against air pollution was needed.

Smog over northern cities in January generated widespread public anger as did the discovery of the rotting corpses of thousands of pigs in March in a river that supplies Shanghai's water.

Social unrest over environmental complaints is becoming common across China, to the government's alarm. Authorities have tried to assuage anger with measures that included empowering courts to mete out the death penalty in serious pollution cases.

But results have been mixed. Enforcement has been a problem at the local level, where governments often rely on tax receipts from polluting industries under their jurisdiction.

(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Ron Popeski)

China to invest $277 billion to curb air pollution: state media | Reuters


China to invest $375 billion on energy conservation, pollution

(Reuters) - China plans to invest 2.3 trillion yuan ($375 billion) in energy saving and emission-reduction projects in the five years through 2015 to clean up its environment, the China Daily newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing a senior government official.

The plan, which has been approved by the State Council, is on top of a 1.85 trillion yuan investment in the renewable energy sector, underscoring the government's concerns about addressing a key source of social discontent.

China has set a target of reducing its carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 40-45 percent by 2020 from the 2005 level, and raising non-fossil energy consumption to 15 percent of its energy mix, Xie Zhenhua, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), was quoted as saying.

As part of broader plans to curb pollution, the government will also roll out tiered power pricing for eight energy intensive industries, while sectors that struggle with overcapacity will face higher power tariffs, Xie said.

The government will also gradually expand a carbon trading pilot program to more cities starting from 2015, with the aim of creating a national market, he said.

Seven cities and provinces, including Shanghai, were ordered by the NDRC in late 2011 to set up regional carbon trading markets.

(Reporting by Fayen Wong and Ruby Lian; Editing by Richard Pullin)

China to invest $375 billion on energy conservation, pollution: paper | Reuters

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Happy now?

Another economy boom.....

 

[jhungary]

Air pollution is happening everywhere, not just the problem in China, we all Breath the same air, so...

Before you point the finger on someone else, you should ask yourselves this, what can I do to curb air pollution.

 

[S10]

The problem is that traditionally coal is used for heating, cooking and electric generation in northeast China. In the last 20 years, tens of millions of farmers moved into the cities in the region from the countryside. That increased the use of coal, natural gas and oil many times over. In addition, heavy industries sprung up and number of cars exploded. Historically, the northeast region was quite sparsely populated, and now it's becoming a huge urban centre.

I have no idea why people keep rushing into Beijing especially. The traffic is horrible. The air is dirty and the people are smug. I would stay as far away from that place as possible. Just because it's the capital doesn't mean it's not crap.

Same with Shanghai too.

 

[Destro]

Coal usage.
High sulphur content in gasoline used in cars.

Until these 2 problems are sorted, things will stay the same.

 

[MeshFree]

That's a price you cannot avoid on the road of development. Chinese around me often talk about the good environment and infrastructure and life, something like that in Europe. But what they should know is, the West have developed for nearly 300 years. In the history they also faced a lot of difficulties. You cannot just see their good aspect and shout: why dont we have this why dont we have that...

Generations of hard work and good fortune are needed. If the development of China is not interrupted, maybe I can live long enough to see clean sky of Beijing.

 

[IND151]

I think its not only China but also India which has to take measures. In India's case we have not yet seen the worse because we don't manufacture much but if we do take the manufacturing path then we should make sure that all environment quality guidelines are followed.

Air pollution is a side effect of industrialization so we cant get away with it but we can minimize it.

Agreed

Hope China gets rid of pollution to maximum extent possible.

 

[Hafizzz]

I think its not only China but also India which has to take measures. In India's case we have not yet seen the worse because we don't manufacture much but if we do take the manufacturing path then we should make sure that all environment quality guidelines are followed.

Air pollution is a side effect of industrialization so we cant get away with it but we can minimize it.

India’s Air the World’s Unhealthiest, Study Says
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/indias-air-the-worlds-unhealthiest-study-says/?_r=0

India has the worst air pollution in the entire world, beating China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, according to a study released during this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos.

Of 132 countries whose environments were surveyed, India ranks dead last in the ‘Air (effects on human health)’ ranking. The annual study, the Environmental Performance Index, is conducted and written by environmental research centers at Yale and Columbia universities with assistance from dozens of outside scientists. The study uses satellite data to measure air pollution concentrations.

India’s high levels of fine particulate matter (a subject we’ve been looking at on India Ink, albeit just in Delhi) are one of the major factors contributing to the country’s abysmal air quality. Levels of so-called PM 2.5, for the 2.5 micron size of the particulates, are nearly five times the threshold where they become unsafe for human beings.

Particulate matter is one of the leading causes of acute lower respiratory infections and cancer. The World Health Organization found that Acute Respiratory Infections were one of the most common causes of deaths in children under 5 in India, and contributed to 13% of in-patient deaths in paediatric wards in India.

When it comes to overall environment, India ranked among the world’s “Worst Performers,” at No. 125 out of the 132 nations, beating only Kuwait, Yemen, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iraq. Neighboring Pakistan, in contrast, ranked 120th and Bangladesh was listed as No. 115 on overall environment.

It is not just India’s big cities which are grappling with air pollution, said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of India’s Centre for Science and Environment, a non-profit organization which was not involved in the study. Air pollution also is worsening in smaller cities, she said.

The main culprit, Ms. Roychowdhury said, is the growing number of vehicles in India. While the country still has far fewer vehicles per capita than developed nations, India’s cars are more polluting, Ms. Roychowdhury said. Other air pollution experts also cite India’s reliance coal and polluting industries like brick-making that are located close to densely-populated areas.

Emission standards are nearly “10 years behind European standards,” Ms. Roychowdhury said, and these standards are not legally enforceable, unlike in countries like the United States which has the Clean Air Act. India has an Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 which is supposed to be enforced by the Central Pollution Control Board. This act lacks teeth, Ms. Roychowdhury said. “We need to take big steps or the problem will overwhelm us,” she said.

D. Saha, a scientist in the “Air Lab” at India’s Central Pollution Control Board said the study’s findings were not a matter of huge concern.

“We should not compare our country with others,” Dr. Saha said. “India has a different terrain.” He cited seasonal rainfall, deserts and dusty conditions as being responsible for the particulate matter. “Can we put water sprinklers across the country?,” he asked.

Particulate matter comes from boilers, thermal power plants and cars, as well, he said, but India would not have development if these activities were curbed, he said. “The diseases mentioned in the report are caused by many factors not just particulate matter, we are raising undue alarm,” Mr. Saha said.

His advice? “It is a non-issue, we have other pressing problems like poverty, focus on them.”

 

[gambit]

Air pollution is happening everywhere, not just the problem in China, we all Breath the same air, so...

Before you point the finger on someone else, you should ask yourselves this, what can I do to curb air pollution.

Ban Mexican food.



Just kidding...Just kidding...I love Mexican food. I go to Cafe Rio once a week.

 

[jhungary]

Ban Mexican food.



Just kidding...Just kidding...I love Mexican food. I go to Cafe Rio once a week.

Lol ban Mexican food? Nunca noo

Anyway, down here in Australia, we got not much Mexican food to choose from, I frequent a joint called Guzman y Gomez

 

[gambit]

Lol ban Mexican food? Nunca noo

Anyway, down here in Australia, we got not much Mexican food to choose from, I frequent a joint called Guzman y Gomez

When I was stationed at Cannon AFB back in '83, there was a local Mexican restaurant named Huerta's in Clovis and they made the best sopapillas I yet have even to this day. The owners knew me and my friends and our regular orders by faces because we went there at least twice a week. New Mexico was where I got exposure to the Hispanics and since then, I always had a thing for the Latinas. My current G/F is half Chilean.