No, really. The deputy director of Beijing's Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau says so!
Smog Clouds Lenses Of TV Crews In BeijingTelevision reports showing thick smog in Beijing just days before the scheduled opening of the summer Olympics have sparked responses from Chinese officials assuring the public in general and athletes in particular that the air pollution poses no risk. Du Shaozhong, deputy director of Beijing's Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, told a Daily Variety reporter that the television reports were misleading. "A blue sky doesn't mean the air quality is good," he said. "If you take a shower, you can't see clearly because of the steam, but it doesn't mean it's pollution."
Just look how lovely it is:
Still, just in case...
China announces emergency pollution planA draconian plan announced last week closed down a number of factories, shut down all outdoor construction sites and decreed that drivers could be on the roads based on their license plate number -- odd numbers on one day, even numbers the next.
Sounds to me like this is a matter of "Your father's going to be home in 20 minutes and I want this mess cleaned up by then!"
But the plan failed to make a dent, and the air quality got worse, shrouding the capital like a heavy fog, choking people and choking off the sunlight.
I think I saw that in one of those postapocalyptic sci-fi movies once.
The capital and surrounding areas of northeastern China have the world's worst nitrogen dioxide levels, according to satellite images taken by the European Space Agency in 2005.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the chemical can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, and may cause impaired lung function and increased respiratory infections
Perhaps we'll get a body count along with the medal count after each day's Olympic events.
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