Pollution in China

[Hill260]

We are going on Amsterdam 82 day transpacific cruise in September and I was wondering if anybody has used masks in China or other areas and which ones work the best. Thank you.

[LadyVol1]

I got some from my dentist and took one of the free ones from a dispenser at the hospital for people with colds. At various times of the year I’ve been to Beijing, Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok, Ulaanbataar and other highly polluted places but luckily never needed them. I didn’t check the ratings of my masks but these (inexpensive disposables) are the kind you see the locals wear.

[skiingj]

I've not been to China but have experienced the pollution on a dozen trips to Korea, some a month long. It can be real bad. Often you will never see the sun and there are no clouds in the sky, just pollution. The dust storms were the worst. I never wore a mask but I was often on a military base and inside. Only In Seoul did I see people wear masks. Have fun!

[SilvertoGold]

I've gotten a sore throat in every Chinese port from the air. The first one was particularly bad but then I got used to it. Masks have never made a difference.

[cabinluvn]

When we were in Beijing the smog was so thick the air was brown. You could taste the smog in your mouth. It clung to everything. It was so bad at the Great Wall we could not see the wall in the distance...only what was up close. Same for Tiananmen Square. Couldn’t see the palace until you got up close. We didn’t wear masks and saw very few people wearing them. Saw more people in Tibet where the air was crystal clear wear them

 

 

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[RuthC]

When I was in China I could see the brown hanging in the air, but I could also see a decent distance. Perhaps I was fortunate on my timing?

I did not use a mask, and didn't feel any effects from not using one.

 

Perhaps you might want to have a few disposable masks, such as they have at a doctor's office, just in case, but don't feel compelled to use one.

[IslandThyme]

Could someone comment on the times of year that the pollution has been bad? I will be in Beijing and Shanghai at the end of October, on the Amsterdam, and am wondering about pollution in that season.

[cabinluvn]

Not sure it is seasonal. We were there in October 2013. Shanghai was clear, Beijing was horrible. Have read other’s experiences were total opposite. Our guide did tell us that for the Olympic in Beijing, the government had helicopters fly over the stadium so the smog would not appear in any film or pictures or the televising of the sports

 

 

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[haladdict]

The typical cheap masks don't work. they are not a tight fit. Besides you have to breathe and the air will be the polluted stuff. The eyes can sting too.

sandra

[RuthC]

I was there in the spring---late March? Early April? Can't remember exactly.

It was fairly clear in both Shanghai and Beijing, and also out at the Great Wall.

[wales4ever]

Been to Shanghai and Singapore many times at different times of the year never noticed anything. Bejing may well be quite different though.

[Hlitner]

Depending on the weather the pollution in Beijing and Shanghai can be horrendous. But I wonder if a simple surgical mask really does a lot of good. One probably needs their own oxygen supply :). We visited Shanghai three times before we actually got a pretty clear view across the river (which is only a few hundred yards from from the Bund. On our third visit there was a short thunderstorm and for about 15 minutes after the storm the skies were crystal clear :). There are some other cities around the world with awful pollution but China certainly is among the leaders.

 

Hank

[arzz]

In 2015 flying into Beijing we started to smell the pollution several minutes before we landed. It was so thick that we could seldom even see the hotel across the street from our hotel. As we travelled through China the pollution varied. This was in October.

 

We have been to Shanghai twice on the Amsterdam (again in the fall) and pollution was not an issue there. I do not know if it is dependent upon the season.

[sfaaa]

Not just pollution but many people in China are heavy smokers and puff like a chimney.

[freestyling]

Masks are often wore in China, Japan and Korea when one has a cold as respect to others in the community. Not always too protect oneself from pollution.

[sananda]

My frequent visits to India made me question the environmental movement, but my first trip to China led me to completely give up on it. These two countries are so polluted that anything we as Americans do to clean up the Earth won't matter. There are more motor vehicles in Mumbai than all of North America, there are more cars in Shanghai than all of Europe. If you think London (nicknamed the Big Smoke for good reason) or L.A. are polluted, they look like a pristine paradise compared to New Delhi. And it is not just air pollution, because the people of India have no concept of littering and will throw packaging and garbage on the street (there are literally no trash cans). Don't get me started about the lack of public use toilets outside of tourist stops. We need to send the people who are so concerned about single use plastic straws to work on these countries if we want to have any hope of cleaning up the Earth.

 

Regarding masks, I recommend getting one with a valve, otherwise they get hot and uncomfortable. 3M makes a paper one for about $5 that is N95 rated.

[rkacruiser]

I've never experienced any air pollution in Singapore and I have been there more than once.

 

The worst air pollution in China was at Xian. A visit during the Fall, arising in the morning at my hotel and looking out my window, the morning looked foggy/smoky. Stepping outside the hotel, one could easily detect the odor of burning coal. I did not notice any breathing problems, thankfully.

[IslandThyme]

Wow, ok. Thanks for all the info. I probably won't bother with a mask, but now have a much better idea what to expect.

[whogo]

The pollution was so bad thirty years ago that I have no desire to return to China. I can't stand wearing an effective face mask, seems like none of the moisture I exhale flows out of the mask, makes me uncomfortable in a hurry.

[Fouremco]

My frequent visits to India made me question the environmental movement, but my first trip to China led me to completely give up on it. These two countries are so polluted that anything we as Americans do to clean up the Earth won't matter. There are more motor vehicles in Mumbai than all of North America, there are more cars in Shanghai than all of Europe. If you think London (nicknamed the Big Smoke for good reason) or L.A. are polluted, they look like a pristine paradise compared to New Delhi. And it is not just air pollution, because the people of India have no concept of littering and will throw packaging and garbage on the street (there are literally no trash cans). Don't get me started about the lack of public use toilets outside of tourist stops. We need to send the people who are so concerned about single use plastic straws to work on these countries if we want to have any hope of cleaning up the Earth.

 

Regarding masks, I recommend getting one with a valve, otherwise they get hot and uncomfortable. 3M makes a paper one for about $5 that is N95 rated.

I don't know where you are getting your information from, but your comments re Mumbai and Shanghai seem way out of whack. According to Statista (https://www.statista.com,) in 2016 Mumbai had a vehicle population that amounted to approximately 2.819 million. For the same year, Statista reported that the US alone had 268.8 million vehicles, or almost 100 times that of Mumbai. That figure doesn't include the vehicles in Canada, Mexico and the remaining 20 countries in North America.

Similarly, the reported number of vehicles in Europe (2017) was 291 million compared to only 2.5 million (2016) in Shanghai.

Nobody has ever thought that the job of cleaning up the earth would be quick or easy, but it makes no sense to not even try just because it will be a tough job.

[SilvertoGold]

Hong Kong air can also be quite bad. Korea is generally fine.

 

We thought on one trip that Shanghai was clear, but one look at our photos showed haze that we hadn't even noticed!

[SilvertoGold]

My frequent visits to India made me question the environmental movement, but my first trip to China led me to completely give up on it. These two countries are so polluted that anything we as Americans do to clean up the Earth won't matter. There are more motor vehicles in Mumbai than all of North America, there are more cars in Shanghai than all of Europe. If you think London (nicknamed the Big Smoke for good reason) or L.A. are polluted, they look like a pristine paradise compared to New Delhi. And it is not just air pollution, because the people of India have no concept of littering and will throw packaging and garbage on the street (there are literally no trash cans). Don't get me started about the lack of public use toilets outside of tourist stops. We need to send the people who are so concerned about single use plastic straws to work on these countries if we want to have any hope of cleaning up the Earth.

 

 

 

Regarding masks, I recommend getting one with a valve, otherwise they get hot and uncomfortable. 3M makes a paper one for about $5 that is N95 rated.

 

Cleaning up the earth is one thing, but what about the USA?

 

You don't mind if the USA suffers in the future from the same pollution as China and India have now?

[cb at sea]

You will find that most other countries are MUCH filthier than you're accustomed to....the USA is pretty damn clean, compared to other countries. Traveling can be a HUGE culture shock!

[Hamnut]

Could someone comment on the times of year that the pollution has been bad? I will be in Beijing and Shanghai at the end of October, on the Amsterdam, and am wondering about pollution in that season.

In February both Beijing and Shanghai were very bad. My wife wore a disposable mask any time we were outdoors as did a lot of folks, tourists and locals. One day in Shanghai the visibility was so bad you could just barely see across the river.

[curtdesilets]

We were in China during the Christmas Break about 20 years ago. The pollution is particularly bad in the winter months for another reason: people use coal to heat their homes. This is wear the mask can be useful. The coal soot in the air will have you blowing your nose and black snot will come out! It sort of freaked me out. On our tour, a few people were wearing masks and I thought to myself...GOOD IDEA! I noticed it more in the rural areas like Xian where the Teraacotta Warriors are. I would bring masks for that larger particulate matter..i.e. coal soot. The masks will be almost useless in terms of regular smog you do realize? They are only good for particulate pollution or dust.