What do clothes, every trinket you’ve ever owned, the tchotchke you gave your Secret Snowflake, and air all have in common? As of late, they’ve all been made in China.
In the wake of the smog crisis that began a few weeks ago in China, a well-known Chinese multi-millionaire named Chen Guangbiao, has found a way to bring attention to his nation’s air quality problem by releasing a line of canned air.
The air is said to be collected from revolutionary regions, including Jinggang Mountain, some ethnic minority areas, and Taiwan, and sells for four to five yuan each, the equivalent of about 80 cents here in the U.S. This air, presented like an ordinary soda can, offers urban citizens something to breathe in besides the fume-choked fog that is blanketing cities around the country, a problem that is particularly noticeable in Beijing.
According to Chen, a chip in the can triggers the lid to close once the negative oxygen ions reach a certain concentration. As fresh air is compressed, the can’s contents remain confined even without a lid. Chen instructs users on how to properly consume a can of air: “One only has to open the can, directly ‘drink’ it or put the nose close to the can to breathe deeply.” Though Chen has conceded that his canning efforts are “tongue in cheek,” it truly shows the severity of the degree of pollution in the country.
Another way China has begun to address this serious situation is by implementing its new daily air quality monitoring service. This system showcases a cute new mascot whose expression will tell residents just how bad their air quality is on a certain day. China’s air is measured on an Air Quality Index (scale from 0 to 500). The higher the AQI value, the greater level of pollutants, and the greater the health concern.
This cute anime cartoon smiles when the air is clear, frowns when the air’s quality is poor, tears up when it gets concerning, and sobs when pollutant levels are hazardous to the point of serious health risks. Considering the AQI mascot weeps when the index is at 301 to 500, she must have been having nervous breakdowns for the past week or two when levels in Beijing surged to an unprecedented 900, so unbelievable that it has been dubbed the “airpocalypse.”
However, despite the joking around by the media (and myself), this air pollution crisis is really no laughing matter. It has seriously tainted not only the health of China’s residents, but also the economic well-being of the country: “These are emergency measures that have the same economic impact as a strike or severe weather. They’re very painful,” describes Louis Kuijs, a Hong Kong-based economist.
As air pollution continues to envelop China’s cities, the cost to the nation in lost productivity and health issues is climbing. China is now home to seven of the world’s 10 most polluted cities, so there are many problems up in the air. According to a study by Greenpeace and Peking University’s School of Public Health, the cost of healthcare to treat pollution-related ailments in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Xi’an alone was over a whopping $1 billion last year.
Take a look at and compare the images below to see what Beijing looks like both with and without smog.
These horrid atmospheric conditions are most definitely a justified cause for anxiety when it comes to the health of millions. In fact, scientists, medical experts, and professors are beginning to say that this issue is far worse than the harsh epidemic of the SARS virus: “There were many ways to get away from SARS… You could have avoided it by leaving a room or taking different method of prevention, but air pollution, indoor pollution — you can’t run away from it,” notes Zhong Nanshan, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the head of Guangzhou’s Institute of Respiratory Disease. Face-masks have even become fashionable and are now commonly accepted as daily accessories.
The extreme pollution has caused other problems that might not have been expected. The country’s growing smog crisis is actually acting as a threat to the Communist regime’s right to rule. In seeking to legitimize its power and effects in China, the Communist Party insists that life in the nation’s cities has steadily improved in every way. However, ubiquitous evidence disproving that statement is threatening people’s lives, and, ironically enough, this giant cloud of pollution is clearing up people’s judgment on the claim: can it be called an improvement if the air looks more opaque than transparent and if people have no choice but to breathe in toxins?
Take a look at the video below to explore even more serious effects of China’s frightening air.