The Smog In Beijing And Its Effects On Our Athletes
August 9, 2008
I am happy with the peace.
Originally uploaded by Luo Shaoyang
While our world leaders and our best athletes meet in Beijing for the 2008 summer olympics, should we be concerned for their health?
Well, the smog certainly doesn’t seem to be harming the young girl and her friend in this precious photo which was taken in Beijing.
But what are the experts saying about the affects Beijing’s polluted air will have on the world’s best athletes?
The air pollution in Beijing is considered to be among the world’s worst. In fact, it has been found that Beijing and its surrounding areas have the world’s highest levels of nitrogen dioxide … which is poisonous to the lungs. As a precaution from getting sick, some of the athletes have unboarded planes wearing masks. And as a result, they are being accused of spating in the face of China which has so graciously welcomed them.
But these athletes have been training for many years for this event. Are they being over cautious or are they taking necessary steps to protect their performance during perhaps the biggest event of their lives?
According to experts, exercising athletes take in seven to eight times more air than a sedentary person and they are more likely to be affected by the pollution. And while all athletes and spectators are at risk for having respiratory problems, people with pre-existing lung or heart conditions, such as the case with USA cyclist Mike Friedman, are at a higher risk for having severe problems. All that being said, one would conclude that the athletes are justified in wearing masks.
But experts are also saying that the pollution is a fine gas. And while a mask will provide some protection, no mask will provide adequate protection. Basically, there is little to nothing the athletes can do to stop the exposure to the pollution.
Looking at the flip side, perhaps unboarding a plane with a mask on your face is going just a little over board. Afterall, the experts claim that a person is more likely to be affected due to inhaling more air “while exercising”. How many athletes will actually be wearing their mask during exercise? Then again, it is the individual athlete’s health … and their moment to shine … and therefore it should be their choice when it comes to protecting their health. The choices they made are what got them there in the first place.
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Well, it’s true that the smug affects the athletes and also the people who live there, but there’s nothing to do here. You can’t stop the Olympics games because of that or anything because you can’t put away the smug in 1 month. I bet this has been a problem since years and now that they have Olympics games they are trying to look like solving the problem.
Juansito
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