Smog Winter 2014 - 2015

Smog is something you deal with living in China and if you've read my previous posts you'll know that it's something I'm not a fan of. During our first Winter in China we endured pollution exceeding readings of 500 on our AQI apps. It was a huge deciding factor in our decision to search for a new position and move on.

This Winter it hasn't been as bad and you find yourself in the staffroom telling people that it really isn't that bad, purely because it's only gone over the 300 mark a couple of times. We've even had days that it has dropped below 100 and that is exceptionally rare in our experience. We have air filters this time around and polution masks. Running in a pollution mask is tough and somewhat ridiculous. Getting the mask to seal perfectly is a losing battle. Getting the high quality windows of our apartment to seal is not even worth thinking about.

The view from our apartment when the pollution is low.

As soon as the pollution rose after Christmas I got sick. I've actually had 5 infections in 3 weeks and I'm still trying to get over it. There are days when we aren't convinced that the AQI apps are right. You struggle to see out of the window, the air tastes funny and you use your inhaler more than ever. As someone who has only ever suffered with exercise induced asthma in Winter I often forget that I have an inhaler. Recently I have had to use my inhaler every day and actually wheeze quite badly.

Spring Festival Smog.

The smog has put a huge dampner on our experience of China. The school where I work has also had a very large turnover of staff due to it. I feel for the local staff who have grown up in Suzhou and are also concerned for their health and that of their families. 

How can we save our planet?

Smog Update

Before Christmas and during the whole period into Chinese New Year the smog in Suzhou was horrific. There were days when the AQI was higher than Shanghai and Beijing. Highly ridiculous as we specifically avoided these larger cities due to the smog. Ironic really to be in this small city that cannot be compared in anyway to Shanghai and Beijing and we were suffering to a greater extent. It makes no sense at all.

Returning from Chinese New Year and having lived through ridiculous pollution we are now rather ecstatic when the pollution is merely "very unhealthy" which is an AQI between 200 - 300. Amazing how perceptions change so quickly. Recently we have even experienced an AQI of under 100, bliss. 

Some families have chosen to leave rather than renew their contracts at school due to the pollution and the school has had some new recruits pull out. The pollution is vastly improved yet it does have an impact on your life. I used to exercise religiously 6 times a week and now I have to check the AQI as I rather like being able to use my lungs. The pollution will certainly be a deciding factor on our decision when my contract comes to an end.

My husband has begun to look at pollution maps of the world and I believe that he will be highly instrumental in deciding where we will move to next as he is a former Ironman and finds the restrictiveness of the pollution quite repressive. It obviously impacts on his ability to train for another Ironman and that is especially important to him.

The school where I work is one of I believe 3 International High Schools in Suzhou. Before Christmas when the pollution was so horrific we were in a full staff meeting and were promised that air purifiers were on order for every classroom and masks for all students and staff. The entire staff applauded and cheered. I know that at least one other school has done this and may have perhaps done this before the establishment at which I am employed. I am grateful for the measures that have been taken but it is incredibly difficult for a school to combat pollution in all areas when there are corridors, large open spaces and numerous doors without good seals. Despite this I am disappointed that none of the rooms in which I teach have an air purifier yet and I was expecting it back in December.

I think I feel somewhat jaded after colleagues who have experienced extreme pollution in other areas receiving far better recompense. Air purifiers installed in apartments, the school closing when it was extreme and staff being given flights anywhere to go and clear their lungs. Sounds to be good to be true but apparently it happened. Some International Schools see us all as being replaceable and others see the value in retaining good staff. It's all the luck of the draw.

Smog

I have been avoiding writing about this subject because I didn't want to admit how much I was struggling with it. I've been avoiding admitting it to my husband too as he is somewhat more vocal about his displeasure in the situation than I am. We were aware that the environment in China wasn't quite as clean as our previous homes, but as we were moving to Suzhou and not Beijing we were led to believe that the pollution and smog was not quite so bad.

There were days where the sky was a little hazy but due to the immense heat when we first arrived we didn't think much of it as we were too preoccupied with the heat. I normally exercise 6 times a week. That has changed since moving to China. Every time I started to get back into an exercise routine I was becoming sick. It would take only 1 or 2 sessions of exercise outside and I was ill. Even exercising inside is not ideal unless you have an air purifier and all of your windows and doors seal perfectly. The pollution levels are worse in the Winter and we really noticed it. At the start of December levels reached above 500.

A colleague once told me that if you compared the pollution levels to those of London you would see little difference. We've checked and it's not quite true. The highest we've seen the pollution in London is 50. We only really started to drop below 200 last week. We both have the  perpetual need to clear our throats and avoid exercise. Considering my husband is an Ironman it is hard to imagine him avoiding exercise.

The pollution brings the smog and we worry if we cannot see the other side of the lake, however we have had days where we have barely been able to see the next apartment building and still businesses and schools remain open and government workers are still seen sweeping the roadside. Above 300 is considered hazardous and people were still going out when it was above 500. The government even tried to say that the pollution was a positive thing as reported here.

The pollution can't have been that bad between July and the start of December as we really didn't notice. We are researching purifiers and masks, but are probably researching a little too much and should just buy something! We are quite interested in the Smart Air Filters. They are somewhat basic, but if they do the job and it is only for a couple of years, then why not.

We get emails from a local cycle group as my husband has been thinking of going out with them. There were a couple of emails last week that were rather worrying. One woman from the group had to visit the Doctor due to respiratory problems as she had been cycling every day without a mask. She is now not cycling if the AQI is above 200 and definitely not without a mask.

Most of my colleagues raved about the clear air and skies where they went on Christmas break. We were exactly the same. Seeing the stars for the first time in months and just how clear the sky was. On our return we could taste the pollution in the air. You have to wonder how the locals handle it and how they live healthily in these conditions. As I've mentioned in the past most Chinese people spend the evenings outside dancing, playing basketball, doing Thai Chi etc. There have been reports of people having serious health issues that require medical assistance from doing these activities in the smog.

We are hoping the worst is behind us and that we somehow find a way through the smog.