car restrictions 17-20 August
4 days of reduced traffic experiment in Beijing shows no improvement in air quality, although the authorities suggest it would have been worse without the restrictions, so they claim the experiment was successful nevertheless..
“Level two is a good enough standard for athletic competition,” said Yu Xianoxuan, environmental director of the Beijing Olympic Organising Committee. “If we had not had the traffic controls we could not have maintained this level because the temperature and humidity were very high. So we can see the restrictions worked.”
Level 2 refers to an API between 51 and 100. SEPA data show that API was 115 on 16 August which is level 3, and went down to the 90s over the 3 next days during the experiment. Not so sure the IOC will be happy with PM10 values of close to 0.150 mg/m3 which corresponds to API 100. SEPA also had this article from Xinhua. IHT had some doubts about the success.
Observations from this graph:
- On 16 August, the day before the experiment began, the API was over 100 (level 3) but it went down below 100 for the next 3 days (level 2) although staying very close to 100.
- The dip on 17 August could also be a result of regional effects, because we see the same dip in Tianjin where no experiment took place as far as i know.
- On 20 August, the last day of the experiment, SEPA did not report API values for any of the 84 cities except Shijiazhuang (the magic number 88) - this was the first time ever this year that data went missing, and what a strange coincidence that it is right on this day..
- The first day after the experiment, 21 August, the API was again over 100 and a simple interpolation suggests the value for 20 August could be around 105 which would have been quite a disappointing result on the fourth day of the experiment.
SEPA reports that this exercise was part of the Olympic Air Quality Guarantee Scheme which also includes controls on coal burning, industrial emissions, vehicle emissions, and raised dust. The interviewed official states that vehicles are the biggest emitters of the fine dust that creates Beijing’s air pollution, so that’s why this effort focussed on cars.
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:23 am
The Washington Post reported that Sunday’s API was originally reported as being 100 and then revised to 95
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/20/AR2007082002011.html?hpid=sec-world
China Daily also reported a reading of 95 for Sunday Aug 20
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-08/20/content_6034453.htm
note the difference in the headlines between the two reports
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:13 am
Nice analysis. Join the club of pollution observers, see my blog and search for pollution! There have been some hilarious (or sad?) comments from the authorities. Anyway, a fact is, API 90 to 100 is still BAD. Some say the recommended WHO maximum is 50 but other sources quote 20. Some athletes who joined the test events were shocked, some complained of respiratory problems but all that is being muzzled by the Chinese media - and the foreign coaches who have ordered their athletes “not to comment on Beijing”. Some countries will now take drastic measures to protect their athletes. As for me, no more running outside, except once for the next Beijing Marathon. Call me suicidal.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:56 pm
I go running in Sanlitun BJ most lunchtimes. All I can say is that *today* the 23rd, after the ‘experiment’ was over I finally had a good run. On Monday the last day of the experiment it was a total disaster. Tuesday *looked* nice but the gray haze gave it away it was utterly foul. Don’t even talk about wednesday the 22nd I did not bother running.
The experiment was a farce. Over the weekend I went to the Beach VB sun and was MTB ing sat. Only outside the city did we get some clean air, way out in Miyun county, once past the 250m altitude limit. Sunday the air was very bad and hot. Luckily the volleyball matches are short.
The numbers are a farce as well, check out the HongKong websites:
http://www.cleartheair.org.hk/
http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/air/air_quality/air_quality.html (I believe it is blocked in China, can’t imagine why?!?!? use PHPproxy or www.gatesite.net)
the API measuremennts are different, more accurate and are not faked to please someone in power.
When people believe that they can say “I command things to be so” and then things will be so, because of their command, we have a serious problem.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:03 pm
sorry extra comment - to say that level 2 is OK for athletic competitions is a barefaced lie. check out the equivalent API levels in HK and 110 is not acceptable by any means. worse, the pm10 particles are irritants and actually are far worse than the others because they provide high surface areas for chemical rections to take place, so in effect they concentrate poisons. The combined effect of small particle size (inhalable right into the deep lungs, sunlight (oxidising power), nitrogen and sulfur etc, surface area, means that the net effect is most likely worse than the numbers on their own suggest, especially after doctoring to please whatever has been ordered to be.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:09 pm
today in HK, note an APi of 52 in HK is high.
Station API Air Pollution Level Contributing Pollutant
Central/Western 21 Medium Low Respirable Suspended Particulates
Eastern 18 Medium Low Respirable Suspended Particulates
Kwai Chung 47 Medium Medium Sulphur Dioxide
Kwun Tong 30 Medium Medium Nitrogen Dioxide
Sha Tin 24 Medium Low Respirable Suspended Particulates
Sham Shui Po 27 Medium Medium Respirable Suspended Particulates
Tai Po 26 Medium Medium Respirable Suspended Particulates
Tap Mun 23 Medium Low Respirable Suspended Particulates
Tsuen Wan 34 Medium Medium Respirable Suspended Particulates
Tung Chung 13 Medium Low Respirable Suspended Particulates
Yuen Long 25 Medium Low Respirable Suspended Particulates
Roadside Station Station Location MapMedium
Station API Air Pollution Level Contributing Pollutant
Causeway Bay 52 Medium High Respirable Suspended Particulates
Central 43 Medium Medium Respirable Suspended Particulates
Mong Kok 40 Medium Medium Nitrogen Dioxide
Also what is RSP (the equivalent of PM10 in BJ). Is this something you want in your lungs during an Olympic event?
Respirable Suspended Particulates
RSP are the proportion of total suspended particulates of a size smaller than 10 micrometres and they have the ability to penetrate deeply into the lungs. Depending on their source and the existing meteorological conditions, RSP can be made up of a number of different constituents.
Particulates constituents
There are a number of chemicals that may form part of RSP. Two important constituents are lead and aromatic hydrocarbons. A number of constituents of RSP and their sources are given in the table below.
Chemical constituent
Source
Silicon, aluminum, calcium, manganese and iron Soil/crystal and construction activities
Vanadium and nickel Oil fired combustion
Cadmium and hydrocarbons Incineration
Carbon, lead, bromine and hydrocarbons Vehicle emissions
Sodium, chloride, magnesium, and potassium Marine aerosols
Nitrate, sulphate and ammonium Secondary pollutant formation
Other chemicals that may be found in particulates matter that are tested for by the EPD are barium, copper, beryllium, mercury, chromium, arsenic and fluoride.
To see what RSP consist of, please click the following icon.
August 25th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Hi Tom,
Airpollution and Beijing will be a big tropic the coming 365 days. I did some research with the SEPA data that is available from 2001. I have published my story on http://homepage.mac.com/jacob.vaarkamp/nieuws/2007/2007_01.html. Unfortunately this is in Dutch.
I have collected the data in this Excel-sheet. If you would like to have it in English, I could make an English version.