Even with "blue skies," is Beijing's air safe?

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Beijing has vowed that next year's Olympic Games will take place under blue skies, but even on an apparently clear day the pollution levels may not be safe for athletes. In an attempt to clean up the capital and appease the International Olympic Committee, factories have been closed, construction halted and cars cleared from the roads in an effort to lift the grey cloak that often shrouds the city.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing has vowed that next year's Olympic Games will take place under blue skies, but even on an apparently clear day the pollution levels may not be safe for athletes.

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In an attempt to clean up the capital and appease the International Olympic Committee, factories have been closed, construction halted and cars cleared from the roads in an effort to lift the grey cloak that often shrouds the city.

Still, most air pollution indicators are outside World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. Moreover, experts say that the pollution index China uses to tell ordinary citizens whether the air is safe -- a "blue sky" day -- is seriously flawed.

It only uses average measurements across the capital so some spots could have dangerous levels even when overall readings say it is safe to venture out. And some of the hazardous pollutants are undetectable to Chinese equipment, experts say.

Beijing has poured 120 billion yuan ($16.07 billion) into clearing the smog, for a Games many of its leaders see as a coming-out party to mark China's rise as a major world power.

But the United Nations said last week dirty air remained a "legitimate concern" for athletes, and Olympics chief Jacques Rogge has warned that if pollution is bad, some endurance events may have to be postponed.

The city's weather office warned children and the elderly to stay indoors last Friday as heavy fog exacerbated pollution, underlining the seriousness of the problem.

WHAT IS SAFE?

China's national limits on major pollutants, with effects including breathing problems and lung damage, are more lenient than most of those of the WHO and the European Union.

But guidelines themselves are not Beijing's main problem, as they are also more stringent than many U.S. rules, and experts point out that China has tried to set itself realistic goals.

"The intention is that they should reflect the current capacities of the air management system. You can see some countries that take the guidelines but don't do any monitoring," said Frank Murry, an air quality expert at the School of Environmental Science at Australia's Murdoch University.

Beijing is fighting hard for permanent solutions to a problem that pushes up health costs and urban discontent, and could eventually damage competitiveness.

"One reason we are keen to guarantee Olympic air quality is that, in the long-term, improvements help the city," said Du Shaozhong, deputy head of the Beijing Environment Bureau.

But ultimately, for the athletes competing in Beijing, the country's best may not be good enough -- because even if the air meets national standards, it will still fail the WHO test.

"If the level is above the line, it is unhealthy," said Paolo Revellino, author of the U.N. Environment Programme report released last week.

The Air Pollution Index devised to give ordinary citizens a quick summary of air conditions -- and measure Beijing's improvements through the number of "blue sky days" it notches up each year, is riddled with problems that magnify the effect of relatively lax standards.

"I prefer not to deal with it because it is not internationally recognized," added Revellino.

The index uses average values across the city and over a 24-hour period, meaning pockets and temporary peaks of dangerous pollution can be ignored. It does not attempt to calculate the cumulative effect of different pollutants, and omits several.

"It's the smaller particles that are more hazardous, because they are easily absorbed into the lungs, into the blood stream. And in China they don't have any official measurement of (them)," said a Western diplomat with an environment brief.

Even blue skies may not be clean. Ozone, a particular summer problem because sunlight helps produce it, is colorless.

"The sky can appear blue, but air can be still polluted ... Ozone can cause some respiratory problems and affect lung functions, so it can produce adverse effects to children, elderly and most likely athletes competing outdoors," the diplomat added.

Beijing's problems, due largely to economic growth, are compounded by the timing of the Games, which it opted to open at the height of summer on August 8. The date was chosen in part because of its repetition of the auspicious number eight.

But in summer air-conditioning ramps up fuel consumption and pollution, while muggy weather traps smog over the city.

Particulate matter thrown up at construction sites mixes with sand blown down from deserts expanding to the north. This combines with debris from the smokestacks of coal-burning power stations, factories and metal smelters in surrounding provinces.

A recent study by a group of Chinese and U.S. experts, entitled 'Air quality during the 2008 Olympic Games', warned that dirty growth in nearby areas might undermine Beijing's best efforts.

($1=7.466 Yuan)