The AP reports:
The noxious air [in Beijing] has been a major headache for Olympic organizers, with athletes voicing concerns over the potential impact to their health and performance. Beijing’s air pollution regularly reaches levels two or three times above what the World Health Organization considers safe.
On Friday, the official air pollution index for Beijing was at 94, similar to levels of moderate pollution recorded earlier in the week. The WHO recommends levels below 50 for healthy air, while China considers anything above 100 to be harmful to sensitive groups including children and the elderly. . .
Beijing officials on Friday continued to insist that the murky haze enveloping the city is not the result of pollution, but instead is fog created by moisture vapor in the air. Visibility, they say, is not necessarily an indicator of air quality.
“The air quality, I think it’s good. It looks a little bit misty. You cannot judge the air quality by its appearance.”
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