There was a lot of talk in London in April, 2014 when the air there hit levels around 150 on the Air Quality Index (AQI). People were complaining that it was worse than the air quality in Shanghai. That’s a little misleading, though.
If you compare London’s air quality during this time to Shanghai’s air quality on a good day, London is worse, yes. But Shanghai hadn’t had what’s classified as a “good” air day (50 AQI or lower) since the previous October.
At one point over the 2013-14 winter, levels were literally off the charts at over 600 AQI! One man was quoted as saying "I have a headache, I'm coughing, and it's hard to breathe on my way to my office." The smog is literally choking these people. Schools were closed and sporting events cancelled. If you think that’s bad, Beijing broke 1,000 AQI a few months earlier!
In Shanghai, people talk about the air quality like others might talk about the weather. Instead of “it’s a nice day out,” people say “The air is good today.” Included in a babies’ ‘firsts’ is his/her first mask, and air purifiers are a must-have item and status symbol similar to a designer handbag.
Okay, so Shanghai has some pretty bad air, but really, how common can that be? Well, if you look at a list of the worst air quality by city in China, Shanghai isn’t even in the top ten! Xingtai wins (loses) this one, with Beijing coming in at number 9. The top eight are all within the Hebei province in northern China.
Next time you’re in a polluted area just be thankful you’re not in China!
