Pollution

Ah yes, it's that time of year when the pollution in Chengdu is at an all-time high and we all hunker down in our apartments with air purifiers, movies, and comfy blankets. But, one can only take that for so long and eventually the toilet paper runs out. So out you go, armed with a surgical mask rated for 2.5 PMI (teeny, tiny particles in the air that settle deep in your lungs) and hope for the best.

Beijing is making the headlines this year with its record levels of pollution and the canned air coming in from Canada. The upside is that Beijing can shut down a bunch of factories and ban all driving and that usually drops the PMI to a healthy level. Chengdu, on the other hand, is located in the Sichuan Basin, a humid bowl-like area with lush growth, but very little wind and rainfall this time of year. So, once the haze is upon us, it takes something like seeding the clouds to clear things out.

We do the best we can with air filters, face filters, staying indoors, etc. and dream of sunny days and better air quality. It is a time when we could use extra thoughts/prayers of encouragement! We still love our Chengdu home, but definitely dream of (and many actually go to) greener pastures until the worst has passed.

Today the sun is actually visible and there are blue portions of the sky visible! Wow! Time to go outside and have some fun! It's only "unhealthy" at 174 PMI and not "hazardous," so let's breathe it up while the breathing is somewhat good!