Beijing Games - "Watch your lungs," says...er...Lung Foundation

This is off topic for Greenbang, but interesting nevertheless…It just landed in the inbox as is.

“The British Lung Foundation is urging Olympic organisers in Beijing to implement emergency air-quality measures to reduce harmful emissions, following the news from the BBC that just a month before the start of the Beijing Olympics, the city is still failing to meet international air quality standards.

“PM10 particles can cause inflammation in the lungs leading to symptoms such as breathlessness or a cough in both healthy people and those with pre-existing lung conditions such as Asthma.” says Dr Keith Prowse, Chairman of the British Lung Foundation. “This could mean that athletes competing at the Olympics may find it harder to perform at their best in these conditions. It is essential that emergency air-quality measures are put in place as soon as possible to reduce these harmful emissions from traffic, construction work and factories surrounding the Olympic site”.