Life under smog: 'The first thing I do is check the air' - small air purifier

As Poland draws to a close, cities in northern China are once again shrouded in dense toxic smoke --
Familiar sights of Beijing residents.
"When I woke up in the morning, the first thing I did was check the air," said Deborah Mahon, from Dublin, who moved to Beijing with her family last year.
"I have an app on my phone that gives me the level.
You can walk less than 200.
Air quality index)
But you may need to wear a mask.
"Over 200, we stay at home as much as we can," she said . ".
"In fact, you can almost taste the air," she said . ".
Located in the House of MS Ma Hong in the northeast of the city, each room has an air purifier.
On the days when the pollution was serious, she had to turn them high.
"They are too noisy and it is really annoying," she added . ". As a long-
Frequent smog makes training difficult.
"I 've just finished a game and I feel like it's the last game I 've ever had ready because you're fighting the air," she said . ".
"You can't plan your training week.
If I take the chance, run in a bad environmentair-
The next day, I was blocked and had a headache.
"My sinus will suddenly increase," she said . "
"At home in Ireland, we will consider the rain, but we will never consider the air.
And it's good to run in the rain.
But I won't run in pollution
"It's not worth it for health risks," she added . ".
China's "economic miracle" has brought about serious environmental deterioration.
Coal and Steel
Production areas around Beijing are dotted with heavy industries that are constantly spewing toxic smoke.
With the cooling of the weather and the start of the coal-fired heating system, the city is often shrouded in smoke.
Tiny particles called PM2.
5S, small enough to enter the lungs and blood, causing serious health problems.
"Our recent estimates indicate 1.
In 2017, 2 million people were killed in two families (
Cooking and heating with coal and wood first dirty fuel)
Outdoor air pollution, "said Michael Brewer, professor at Columbia University's School of Population and Public Health.
"Only outdoor air pollution, we estimate 850,000 of it comes from particulate pollution and 180,000 from ozone," he added . ".
Old people and young people are at the greatest risk.
Outside a health clinic in Beijing, parents buy balloons for their children after regular inspections --up.
"I do worry that it will have an impact on my son's health," said a mother named Qingqing . ".
"He is only over two years old.
"I think there are too many cars in Beijing. what can we do? " said a grandmother ? ".
"But I think the air has become better in the last two years or so.
"Air quality in Beijing has been improving, which is largely the result of Chinese government policy.
Over the past five years, the air quality index has fallen by about 33%.
The government has introduced a "winter action plan", and some of the city's more serious cities were shut down last year --
Pollution factory
At the same time, most of the heating is transferred from coal to natural gas.
But the sudden implementation of the new policy means that many households have been cut off coal supplies before gas connections, and people have to freeze as temperatures drop.
Primary school students in Hebei province are forced to attend classes outdoors because the sun in winter is warmer than in unheated classrooms.
China has said it plans to stop rising greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
But China is still heavily dependent on coal.
"About 63% of the electricity comes from coal," said Tom Baxter of Belfast, a communications and research official for China Dialogue in Beijing.
"But this is going down, about 70% a few years ago," he said . ".
"Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are part of this proportion," he added . ".
"It needs to be fast, but it's on the right track.
Speaking of the smog in Beijing, he added: "You will never get used to how much it affects your life . ".
"When the AQI is over 300 and you can barely see the 300 street, you will never forget how terrible and frustrating it is," he said . ".
This is not just a question of China.
The pollution here is partly due to the consumption of goods and services in other countries.
Professor Michael Brewer said: "In the analysis of the 2007 data, we estimate that the goods consumed in Western Europe caused 5.
4% of air pollution
Related deaths in China
"Due to consumption in Western Europe, 54,400 people will die in China," he added . ".
While the US government pursues climate change
The skeptical agenda, although China is the world's largest carbon emitter, has become a world power calling for environmental protection.
It still relies heavily on fossil fuels and continues to build coal that is heavily polluted.
As part of its Belt and Road infrastructure project, energy plants have been launched not only at home, but also in other countries.
But China is also investing heavily in green energy technologies.
China, for example, is expected to dominate the world electric vehicle market.
For now, however, as Beijing residents face another cold, smoky winter, the pace of change is not fast enough. h.