Healthy Air

The 2 most asked Questions when you tell you are running outside in Shanghai are in no specific order: Is is not to hot? What about air pollution? 

These are both facts, you have to cope with in a wise way. For the air pollution this one is also personal to me as I have Astma and even with this I still do most of my runs outside. 

On Shanghai Environment online you can check the pollution of yesterday and the forecast for today: http://www.envir.gov.cn/eng

Explaining what is measured: Pm10, SO2 and NO2 

Pm10 are inhale able particles les than 10 microns in diameter (100 times thinner than a human hair); solid or liquid; natural ones ar mold spores and pollen and dust, others are smoke; diesel and two stroke engine fumes.

SO2 is Sulfur Dixide; it has a sharp irritating odor; a side product from burning fuel, aseptically coal fueled power plants; erupting vulcanos are a natural source; together with water it formes assid rain.

NO2 is Nitrogen Dioxine; An other side product of burning fuel combined with sunshine it produces ground level ozon O3.

The levels: 

As all these 3 are related and the Pm10 is most common known lets focus on this;

In US Pm10 up to 50 are considered good in Europe up to 40.

The values from 50 to 100 are considerate moderate and 101 up to 150 are considered unhealthy for sensitive people. 

People with respiratory deseases like Astma and these people should limit their outdoor activity's, the scaling does go up: http://www.airinfonow.org/ed.particulate.html

Considering we are running and use our lungs more intense lets skip those.

Next to the measured level there is also considered the place to run and time to run

Place; although Pm10 particles can travel up to 50 Km, if your running in a park in stead of along a road side the exertion is off 2 different levels.

Time; it is understandable that running before ore after peek hours is preferable.

So with logic thinking, a nice park nearby and an early or late run, we can do happy running, for your info I'm running in Shanghai outdoors sins 2006.

More to read:

http://www.parkwayhealth.cn/newsletter/breath.html

http://www.parkwayhealth.cn/newsletter/airquality.html