The number one cause of death in China is respiratory disease.
Here's a good perspective on how to relate to the pollution here, from an article in the Washington Post:
"To give you a sense of scale, there’s a big controversy in Utah right now because the PM2.5 air pollution in Salt Lake City has sometimes hit as high as 69. That number is considered unhealthy. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, even adults should avoid all outdoor activities if the count hits 300. In Beijing and other Chinese cities, the air pollution rating can spend days hovering around 500."
I've become the person that has an "air quality" app on my Iphone and obsess over it every morning like someone else would look at weather updates or sports scores. We have an air purifier in every room of our apartment. There are multiple days in a row where the ratings are unsafe for children to be outside, limiting my ability to let Mavis play on the playground or ride her bike- things that I shouldn't have to think about.
Yet oddly enough on those days I don't hate China, okay well sometimes I do. But mostly I just feel blessed. Blessed and undeserving. Blessed that I was born in a country where I have access to clean water, clean air, and basic sanitation. Where we have heat, and hot water, and access to decent healthcare. Where it's safe to eat fruits and vegetables without cooking them and where I can trust that the milk, cooking oil, and honey that I buy aren't reused, tainted, or otherwise altered to negatively effect my health. Why was I so fortunate to be among those born in the U.S.? I'm not sure, but once we go back to the U.S. if I ever complain about not having a mud room for my shoes or an irrigation system for my yard please remind me that at least I have clean air.
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| A view from our window on a windy spring day. I know it's a different season than the picture below but we so rarely have beautiful days that I wanted to make sure to capture how magnificient the view can really be. |
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| A view from the same window on an average day this winter. |
