Seniors more tolerant of smog than youth
Source: Xinhua |
January 19, 2013, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Editor's note:
The smog sort of disappeared in the middle of this week, but it would take a long time to address the root causes.
YOUNG pedestrians slapped on protective face masks while senior citizens carried on with their regular outdoor exercises as hazardous smog choked Beijing this past week.
Beijing on Monday continued to issue air pollution warnings as readings of PM2.5 hit 300 to 400 micrograms per cubic meter in many parts of the city, or 12 to 16 times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization.
Officials and experts have advised residents, especially children and the elderly, to stay indoors. But on Monday, it was busy as usual on Beijing's streets, with people walking dogs and doing morning exercises.
Dozens of senior citizens did their morning exercises in a small park with exercise equipment near Xicheng District's Baiwanzhuang Avenue, and none of them were aware of the high pollution readings or wore protective masks.
"I do have some coughing today, but I just don't want to be cooped up in my house or bother myself with an uncomfortable mask," said 63-year-old Peng Fuqiang, who regularly visits the park.
Like Peng, several middle-aged and elderly residents interviewed were nonchalant about the pollution. Many said they had gotten used to the city's many smoggy winter days.
Doctors and health experts agree that excessive inhalation of PM2.5, or airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, raises risks of cardiac and respiratory diseases, with children and the elderly being the most at-risk.
Older Beijingers' indifference toward the unhealthy air is in stark contrast to the angry conversations online. It seems as though the population has turned to the Internet to complain about the choking air and criticize the government's inadequate pollution control.
Young Beijing residents have reacted quickly to the smoggy weather, pushing up sales of protective masks and air purifiers on China's major B2C online portals. On Beijing's streets, most people in protective masks appear to be in their 20s and 30s.
Among the most distressed appear to be young people new to Beijing, who find it difficult to live with the air pollution.
Air pollution has been a prolonged headache for Beijing, as experts said the metropolis' explosive car ownership rates, massive winter heating demands and geography have made it difficult to purify the air.
The smog sort of disappeared in the middle of this week, but it would take a long time to address the root causes.
YOUNG pedestrians slapped on protective face masks while senior citizens carried on with their regular outdoor exercises as hazardous smog choked Beijing this past week.
Beijing on Monday continued to issue air pollution warnings as readings of PM2.5 hit 300 to 400 micrograms per cubic meter in many parts of the city, or 12 to 16 times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization.
Officials and experts have advised residents, especially children and the elderly, to stay indoors. But on Monday, it was busy as usual on Beijing's streets, with people walking dogs and doing morning exercises.
Dozens of senior citizens did their morning exercises in a small park with exercise equipment near Xicheng District's Baiwanzhuang Avenue, and none of them were aware of the high pollution readings or wore protective masks.
"I do have some coughing today, but I just don't want to be cooped up in my house or bother myself with an uncomfortable mask," said 63-year-old Peng Fuqiang, who regularly visits the park.
Like Peng, several middle-aged and elderly residents interviewed were nonchalant about the pollution. Many said they had gotten used to the city's many smoggy winter days.
Doctors and health experts agree that excessive inhalation of PM2.5, or airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, raises risks of cardiac and respiratory diseases, with children and the elderly being the most at-risk.
Older Beijingers' indifference toward the unhealthy air is in stark contrast to the angry conversations online. It seems as though the population has turned to the Internet to complain about the choking air and criticize the government's inadequate pollution control.
Young Beijing residents have reacted quickly to the smoggy weather, pushing up sales of protective masks and air purifiers on China's major B2C online portals. On Beijing's streets, most people in protective masks appear to be in their 20s and 30s.
Among the most distressed appear to be young people new to Beijing, who find it difficult to live with the air pollution.
Air pollution has been a prolonged headache for Beijing, as experts said the metropolis' explosive car ownership rates, massive winter heating demands and geography have made it difficult to purify the air.
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