Pinoys in Beijing starting to get sick as smog worsens
Some Filipinos in Beijing are starting to get sick as the air pollution there continues to worsen, a report on "Balita Pilipinas" on Monday said.
"Minsan, nagigising ako na masakit yung ulo ko. But the worst was, I have facial rashes," said Jocelyn Cambaya, an English teacher in Beijing.
"I visited four times sa doctor, twice in Beijing, once in the Philippines and once in the States. The same findings, the same diagnosis, air pollution," she added.
Another teacher, Humphrey Agcaoili, on the other hand decided to just come home to the Philippines for the meantime as he can no longer bear the air pollution in Beijing.
"Nagkakaroon sila [other Filipinos] ng ubo't sipon. Tapos ako nagkaroon ng back pain. Na parang magic, nang dumating ako sa Pilipinas, nawala yung back pain ko," he said.
On Friday, February 21, the Chinese government raised its pollution alert level to "orange," the second highest alarm in its four-tier system, following a week of thick smog—or a combination of smoke and fog—shrouding the city.
A reportd on China-based Taipei Times said the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center has recorded as of 11 a.m. Sunday a PM2.5 concentration of 198 micrograms per cubic meter near Tiananmen Square.
The PM2.5 is a kind of fine particles considered hazardous to health.
The report said the PM2.5 concentration in Tiananmen Square last Sunday was eight times higher than the recommended 25 micrograms per cubic meter over 24 hours by the World Health Organization.
Apart from Beijing, also affected by the worsening air pollution are the cities of Shijiazhuang and Xingtai in Hebei province and Yangquan in Shanxi province.
According to US Environmental Protection Agency, the thick smog in these areas is considered very hazardous for humans and might lead to various respiratory diseases. The Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, meanwhile, said Beijing is almost no longer fit for human habitation.
As of 10 a.m. Monday PM2.5 levels were as high as 309 in Shijiazhuang, 431 in Xingtai, 356 in Yangquan and as of 11 a.m., 239 in Beijing, a Bloomberg report said.
Following days of thick smog, the government of China has already advised its residents to refrain from using cars and to prevent children from going out to the streets.
The provincial government of Hebei, meanwhile, ordered the closure of 19 steel manufacturing companies, the "Balita Pilipinas" report said.
China is considered one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide in the world as 65 percent of its energy supply comes from coal plants, according to international studies. — Elizabeth Marcelo/KBK, GMA News
"Minsan, nagigising ako na masakit yung ulo ko. But the worst was, I have facial rashes," said Jocelyn Cambaya, an English teacher in Beijing.
"I visited four times sa doctor, twice in Beijing, once in the Philippines and once in the States. The same findings, the same diagnosis, air pollution," she added.
Another teacher, Humphrey Agcaoili, on the other hand decided to just come home to the Philippines for the meantime as he can no longer bear the air pollution in Beijing.
"Nagkakaroon sila [other Filipinos] ng ubo't sipon. Tapos ako nagkaroon ng back pain. Na parang magic, nang dumating ako sa Pilipinas, nawala yung back pain ko," he said.
On Friday, February 21, the Chinese government raised its pollution alert level to "orange," the second highest alarm in its four-tier system, following a week of thick smog—or a combination of smoke and fog—shrouding the city.
A reportd on China-based Taipei Times said the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center has recorded as of 11 a.m. Sunday a PM2.5 concentration of 198 micrograms per cubic meter near Tiananmen Square.
The PM2.5 is a kind of fine particles considered hazardous to health.
The report said the PM2.5 concentration in Tiananmen Square last Sunday was eight times higher than the recommended 25 micrograms per cubic meter over 24 hours by the World Health Organization.
Apart from Beijing, also affected by the worsening air pollution are the cities of Shijiazhuang and Xingtai in Hebei province and Yangquan in Shanxi province.
According to US Environmental Protection Agency, the thick smog in these areas is considered very hazardous for humans and might lead to various respiratory diseases. The Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, meanwhile, said Beijing is almost no longer fit for human habitation.
As of 10 a.m. Monday PM2.5 levels were as high as 309 in Shijiazhuang, 431 in Xingtai, 356 in Yangquan and as of 11 a.m., 239 in Beijing, a Bloomberg report said.
Following days of thick smog, the government of China has already advised its residents to refrain from using cars and to prevent children from going out to the streets.
The provincial government of Hebei, meanwhile, ordered the closure of 19 steel manufacturing companies, the "Balita Pilipinas" report said.
China is considered one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide in the world as 65 percent of its energy supply comes from coal plants, according to international studies. — Elizabeth Marcelo/KBK, GMA News
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