The British Lung Foundation is urging Olympic organisers in Beijing to implement emergency air-quality measures to reduce harmful emissions, following the news from the BBC that just a month before the start of the Beijing Olympics, the city is still failing to meet international air quality standards.
When Beijing bid for the Olympics in 2001, it said its air would meet World Health Organization (WHO) standards. When the BBC put this to the test using a hand-held detector to test for airborne particles known as PM10. They found that the city's air failed to meet the WHO's air quality guidelines for PM10 on six days out of seven.
These particles are caused by traffic, construction work and factory emissions. They are responsible for much of this city's pollution. Beijing insists that there is still time to get things right. Later this month it is imposing a series of emergency air-quality measures which will take cars off the streets and shut down building sites.
Dr Keith Prowse, Chairman of the British Lung Foundation says: “PM10 particles can cause inflammation in the lungs leading to symptoms such as breathlessness or a cough in both healthy people and those with pre-existing lung conditions such as Asthma.
"This could mean that athletes competing at the Olympics may find it harder to perform at their best in these conditions. It is essential that emergency air-quality measures are put in place as soon as possible to reduce these harmful emissions from traffic, construction work and factories surrounding the Olympic site”.
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