Asthma and the 2008 Olympics
Do you know who Haile Gebrselassie is?
He’s an Ethiopian runner and the marathon world recordholder, and he just pulled out of that event for this summer’s Olympic Games. Gebrselassie has asthma, so he’s worried about running such a strenuous race in the thick smog in Beijing.
Yes, the air pollution in Beijing is that bad, and the Olympics occur in the heat and humidity of August, which will only make the smog worse.
I don’t think one athlete’s withdrawal is the big issue here. A more crucial question in my mind is why the Games were awarded to a city with such abysmal pollution numbers. The International Olympic Committee has mentioned postponing or canceling events if the air quality poses too high a health risk to athletes, and doesn’t that tell us something?
Why, in fact, does the IOC choose any city with severe air quality problems to host, including Los Angeles in this country in 1984? All sorts of political and diplomatic considerations go into the host city decision, I’m sure, but if potential locations have to present transportation, venue, and lodging plans to the committee, they should also have to pass an air quality standard as well. Exercising outside on high-ozone days is notoriously difficult for so many asthmatics, and competing on the Olympic level is even harder.
But the biggest tragedy belongs to the people who live in and around Beijing (and other cities like it), who breathe in this sludge all the time. Short of moving they don’t have the option to withdraw, and I doubt the international attention and pressure to decrease their city’s pollution health risks will last past the closing ceremony.
A New York Times article from last fall points out that China will most likely get Beijing’s air clean enough in time for the Games because coverage of athletes wearing masks and experiencing asthma flares makes for bad press. In fact, the country has already spent $17 billion on 200 air quality projects. Of course, that last link contains a smog-filled photo from just two days ago, illustrating that *better* air quality does not necessarily equal *good* air quality.
And what happens when the Olympics end, and the international cameras leave?
Filed under: Air Quality, Airborne Irritants, Asthma News & Research, Children's Asthma, Children's Health, Environment
I looked at that last picture and 10% better than THAT wouldn’t work for me. I don’t know how as asthmatic in China could function in that stew.
Oh my….
The runner I’m keeping an eye on for the Olympic marathon is Paula Raddclif (sp?). She won the NY marathon, has won London and last I knew she held the world record for the marathon. She has asthma too. I wonder how this is going to affect her.
I think there are a couple issues you bring up. First, the issue really isn’t that Haile Gebrselassie is dropping out, though I think all fans of the Olympics and the marathon are missing out by his doing so. Here’s to hoping he medals in the 10k.
Like most Americans, I’m looking forward to seeing how Ryan Hall fares. Can he live up to the expectations?
The bigger issue, of course, is the pollution levels. I’m not sure, but I think the pollution is significantly worse now than when Beijing was awarded the Games. Maybe that should have been predicted, but China’s economic rise and pollution problems have been off the charts in terms of historical comparisons, so…
Hundreds of thousands of Chinese people die every year due to pollution related afflictions. It’s really a silent tragedy.
Big AG, Yeah–exactly my reaction.
I’ve seen all kinds of numbers for asthma and other breathing problem-related death rates in that area and it’s just very, very sad.
Brittney,
Radcliffe’s husband/manager has been quoted in a couple of stories about the “research” they’ve done on her meds and the pollution. I know a LOT of athletes (and especially the asthmatic ones, I’m betting) aren’t arriving in the city until the last possible moment, to decrease their exposure. I’m interested in her performance, too.
Hi Bryan, thanks for stopping by.
“Hundreds of thousands of Chinese people die every year due to pollution related afflictions. It’s really a silent tragedy.”
I couldn’t agree more, and one benefit (I guess) of the Olympics taking place there this summer is all this exposure for the problem. I just hope the concern lasts.
This is a great “watercooler” topic. It really has people talking. I agree that the Olympic committee should start seriously considering environmental factors such as air quality when choosing venues. I always assume its political, so awarding host status to a country with sludge in the air and, oh yeah, a history of abetting genocide, doesn’t really surprise me.
Ah, yes.
When I wrote this post, at the very end I started to write “And then there’s Tibet.”
But the thing was already too long anyway, so I left it off. I know a couple of groups are boycotting the Olympics b/c of Tibet–it will be interesting to see if more athletes pull out for health reasons.