Beijing and Delhi often make headlines for air polluted cities, but which city has worse air? I wanted to get some hard numbers on how the two cities’ air quality compare. The Data To do that, I analyzed PM2.5 data from the US Embassies in Delhi and government monitors …
Analyzing new air quality data, Smart Air found that Beijing’s PM2.5 dropped 14% in 2018 compared to the year before. Despite the improvement, Beijing still averages nearly five times the World Health Organization’s annual limit. Improvement Came Mostly from Winter Enforcement By breaking down the data month by month, analysis …
New data analysis from Smart Air shows that air quality improved in 14 out China’s 15 largest cities. This data suggests China’s “war on air pollution” seems to be working. This analysis uses over 21,000 daily average PM2.5 data points from official sensors around the country. Beijing Famous …
I’m in Beijing right now, and I’m going to exercise today. So what can I do when the world outside my window looks like this? Would exercise in this air pollution do more harm than good? Is it better to not exercise at all? 1. The point where exercise becomes …
Beijing and Delhi often hit the news as two of the most polluted cities in the world, with PM2.5 levels often soaring to tens of times the WHO annual limit (10µg/m3). Smart Air plotted the PM2.5 data from the US Embassy in Delhi and the US Embassy in Beijing to …
Is it possible to see air pollution just by looking at the color of sunlight in the sky? That sounds tough, sometimes I hear people say air pollution is invisible: But after years of living in Beijing and Delhi, I’ve been amazed at how well we can detect air pollution …
After best January on record, China’s air pollution worsens An analysis by Smart Air of data from pollution stations found that, after Beijing’s best year on record, Beijing PM2.5 levels are now worse than 2017. Data from 11 other major cities showed similar trends. Beijing Compared to …
Air pollution includes a bunch of microscopic particles, but have you ever wondered what those particles are exactly? In a study published in Nature, scientists tested the air in Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to find out exactly what PM2.5 is made of. By tracing the composition of the particles, they could gain …
A few months ago, Smart Air tested the Laser Egg, the Node, and the Dylos against official PM2.5 readings. The results were way better than I expected! All three machines correlated r = .90 or higher with the gold-standard numbers, which is very high. But this test may have exaggerated its …
I wear a pollution mask in Beijing, and I’ve always taken it off when I get into the subway. That’s because I’ve always assumed air in the subway is better than outside. But am I right to take it off? I’ve heard a lot of Beijingers debating whether air in …
