What is Asbestos? Asbestos is a mineral that makes a great fiber. People use that fiber in lots of building materials, like insulation, paints, electric wiring, wall boards, and floor tiles. Asbestos might be all around us. Should I Be Concerned? When any of these materials break apart, the asbestos can […]
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Is Asbestos a Problem in China?
This commonly used material may be more dangerous than formaldehyde So why do so few people talk about it in China? One day a few years ago, a Chinese friend of mine asked me about jiaquan (甲醛). “Huh?” I had to look it up. Turns out it means “formaldehyde.” At that point, I started to […]
You thought rain washes away pollution?
I’ve wondered whether rain decreases pollution for a long time because I’ve noticed two things: 1. Sometimes after it rains in Beijing, the sky is gloriously blue. When that happens, many people like me say, “Wow, the rain really washed away the pollution!” 2. But then sometimes it rains and rains, and the sky still […]
Smart Air Indoor Air Quality Audit in 3E Space
Air Quality Audit Report Date of audit: 27/05/2017 Audit conducted by: Yap Choon Khin Paddy Robertson Air quality monitor: Dyloc DC1700 Pro AirVisual Node Audit location: Beijing Jiaodaokou, Xinhua New Culture Building, 5th floor Air quality measurement outside premises: 115 µg/m3 Corresponding Air Quality Index (outdoors)[1]: 182 Air quality inside premises: 70 µg/m3 Corresponding Air […]
How much pollution do we breathe every day?
When people ask me how they should protect themselves from air pollution, I’ll say you need a purifier for indoors and a mask for outdoors. Many people have both (great!) but which one is benefiting your health more? Do you really need both? The answer to this comes down to how much air pollution we’re breathing […]
Are Purifiers Useless If My Window is Open?
Are Purifiers Useless If My Window is Open? Tests show that keeping the doors and windows closed will keep particulate levels at 50% less than outdoor air on average. But some people really want to keep their windows open. For some people, it’s an old wive’s tale that windows must be kept open. For others, […]
When wind blows from the north, Beijing’s air quality becomes better
To the northwest of Beijing is sparsely populated Inner Mongolia. Thus, wind from there cleans things out. Here’s what happens on average to PM 2.5 levels with wind from different directions in Beijing: When wind comes from the south or east, PM 2.5 is above average. When wind comes from the north (on the far […]
When Wind Blows From This Direction, Shanghai’s Pollution is 5 Times More Likely to Be Toxic
Calvin Quek from Greenpeace analyzed how PM2.5 changes with depending on which way the wind is blowing in Shanghai: The data is simple. When the wind is coming from the industrialized areas to the west of Shanghai, toxic air pollution is more likely. When the wind blows in from the ocean, bad air days are much less likely. In Beijing, the […]
Is There Less PM2.5 on Higher Floors? Does Living in a High Rise Protect People From Pollution?
Living on the 20th floor of a high rise building isolates people from the world. Cars, streets, shaokao vendors—they’re all farther away. So does that mean PM2.5 is lower on the higher floors of buildings? The Test Tristan from the Smart Air team tested this by taking laser particle counters from floor 1 to floor […]
Chengdu’s PM2.5 Now as Bad as Beijing
It’s nerd Christmas! The US Embassy’s 2016 PM2.5 data just came out. And there’s a surprise in the data from Beijing and the US Consulate in Chengdu: Chengdu just barely edged out Beijing for highest PM2.5. I had to go out to two decimal places to find that difference. How Bad is That? OK, so […]