Air pollution: a sad fact of modern life (and travel)

INTERNATIONAL travellers arriving at Beijing's main international airport don't smell Avgas. Instead, this winter their first whiff of the Chinese capital is more likely to be the stench of burning coal wrapped in eye-watering smog. The city has been trapped in a temperature inversion that combines freezing temperatures and thick pollution from coal-fired electricity generators, tens of thousands of petrol-driven cars, and factory emissions.
The US embassy's air quality index in Beijing rates a reading of 150 as 'unhealthy' and above 300 as 'hazardous'. This month, levels have been consistently higher than hazardous and on several days the index has reached 500 or 'extremely hazardous'.
Local doctors and hospitals have treated thousands of Beijing's citizens – many of them children – for respiratory illnesses. The thick smog has also disrupted transport, with flights cancelled and roads closed due to poor visibility.

Smog is hard to escape
"It's hard to see across the road," former Australian Ambassador to China, Geoff Raby, now a business consultant in Beijing, recently told the ABC's Fran Kelly on Radio National Breakfast.
"Your eyes sting and your mouth feel like it's coated in a chemical. It's very unpleasant."
The city's smog even affects those able to stay indoors in the city's more upmarket apartment blocks and hotels, where the air is filtered.
While pollution has been extreme in Beijing this winter, China is by no means the exception. Each winter in many parts of South Asia, the burning of fossil fuels, combined with vehicle and factory emissions creates ever-thicker smog and extends its duration, while to the south-east, deliberately lit forest fires in Sumatra send thick smoke across the rest of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Of course, polluted air is not exclusive to the developing world. It's a phenomenon seen in many major cities.
Which cities have the world's worst air? In 2010, the Daily Finance website's review had Beijing tied with the Indian capital, New Delhi, for number one, followed by Santiago (Chile), Mexico City (Mexico), Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Cairo (Egypt), Chongqing (China), Guangzhou (China), Hong Kong (China), and Kabul (Afghanistan).

Just what is smog?
It might seem like a 21st century problem in rapid-growing countries like China and India, but the term smog was actually coined in the early 20th century when it became a serious health problem in London and other cities undergoing their own industrial and economic transformation. London's 'pea-soup' fogs, caused by the burning of vast quantities of coal in homes and factories within the city limits during winter, contained soot particulates from smoke, sulfur dioxide, and other unhealthy ingredients.
Modern-day smog is the result of emissions from petrol-powered cars and industrial fumes, which react with sunlight in the atmosphere to form secondary pollutants. These then combine with the primary emissions to form photochemical smog.
Typically, the health risks of smog and haze increase in winter when temperature inversion (a layer of warm air over cooler air) occurs, trapping the smog in the moist, cold air close to the Earth's surface. What makes Beijing's inversion-trapped smog even more unhealthy is that it combines smoke from its ever-increasing number of power stations with auto and industrial emissions.

The travel risks from polluted air
For most healthy adult travellers, smog and haze may be eye-wateringly unpleasant, but its effects are usually short-lived.
Brief exposure can cause relatively minor health problems – eye and nasal irritation, and a cough – for most travellers. At worst, it could mean headache, nausea, and vomiting.
However, air pollution can have more severe effects on:
- Children.
- Elderly people.
- Anyone (regardless of age) with a chronic heart disease or lung condition, such as asthma or emphysema.
Numerous studies have confirmed persistent air pollution increases the risk of asthma, cardio-vascular events, strokes, and lung cancer.
Anyone who falls into a high-risk category should talk to a specialist travel doctor or their GP about the possible ramifications for their particular condition in travelling to a smog- or haze-affected region.

Reducing the impact of air pollution
Travelvax Australia advises that if you're travelling to a smog- or haze-affected city, reduce the potential impact of air pollution on your health by:

CHECKING YOUR DESTINATION – There are lots of online resources to help you find out if air pollution is likely to be a problem at the time you'll be visiting your destination. Just Google air quality+your destination. Just like you check the weather forecast before you leave, check the air pollution forecast, too.

MINIMISING TIME SPENT OUTDOORS – It makes sense to stay indoors until conditions improve, keeping your hotel room's windows and doors closed. Turn your room's air conditioner to 'recirculate' mode and ask reception if an air purifier is also available.

REDUCING PHYSICAL EXERTION OUTDOORS – Physical exertion increases the risk of airborne particles being deposited deep in the lungs. If air quality is poor, avoid activities such as cycling, tennis, or jogging – especially near rush-hour traffic or during the afternoon when ground-level ozone reaches its peak.

WEARING A MASK – If medium-high air pollution levels are forecast, consider wearing a mask – especially if an existing medical condition puts you at particular risk. Better quality masks, such as N95 respirators, are far more effective than cloth or gauze masks at filtering small particles, although they don't protect against noxious gases. If you have an underlying medical problem, in particular a heart or lung condition, consult your doctor before using a mask.

KEEPING MEDICATION HANDY – If you use an inhaler or carry medication for chronic conditions, carry them in your hand luggage so they're handy as soon as you arrive. Your inhaler and a dose of medication should go with you if you spend longer periods away from your hotel.

REMEMBER TO PACK – Over-the-counter saline solution or eye drops to relieve irritated eyes.
Any ill-effects from air pollution you might experience during your trip should be brief. However, consult your doctor if respiratory symptoms persist after you return.

The WHO has lots of advice and information on the health impacts of poor quality air.

Find out about all of the potential health risks for your destination during a consultation with travel health professionals at our nearest Travelvax Australia clinic. To learn more contact our obligation-free advisory service on 1300 360 164 (toll-free from landlines).