air quality in Shanghai a concern?

[jboeh2]

We were looking into teaching abroad in Shanghai. Recently, while looking more into Shanghai, we noticed that air pollution is a major issue. Would anyone who lives there (or know about the condition) care to share their thoughts? To be honest, this is an issue that would keep us from going there. I would like to hear thoughts of others though. We would be taking our two children, as well.

Thanks

[mysharona]

You are right to be concerned about the air quality in Shanghai, at the moment we are in a real golden period where the AQI has been below 100 for at least 5 days in a row but I am not expecting that too last too much longer. A report released recently placed Shanghai in the bottom 5 of 41 major world cities when considering the environment (on the positive side we're better off than Beijing which was 3rd). You can follow the AQI at http://aqicn.org/city/shanghai/.

If you want more information on air pollution in China then I would suggest this site: http://www.myhealthbeijing.com/category/pollution/ it's based out of Beijing (where the air quality is generally, not always, worse than Shanghai's) but the information is good.

Coming to and staying in Shanghai is a choice. The city is interesting and always changing, the money is generally pretty good and the teaching is rewarding. However, you need to balance that with the pollution issues which not only include air pollution but also water pollution issues (for example the chlorine can be overwhelming at times) and food contamination issues. Its the same choice that people have had to make for centuries and you have to make your own decision. Personally I'm glad my kids are older and not here to live through the pollution. Being from North America, I would never have imagined air quality as bad as I have seen in the past 18 months, so bad you can't see more than 500 meters from either side of the elevated highway. The air quality can be so bad that I have to resort to wearing my mask when I am out walking, see examples here: http://totobobo.com/

The good news is that both the Chinese central government and the Shanghai city government have finally recognized that it is an issue and are beginning to take steps to correct or at least mitigate the issue. The central government has offered huge financial incentives for the city to clean up its act and the city government is working with nearby provinces to reduce the quantity of air pollutants that get spewed into the air, particularly pm 2.5 which is the real nasty stuff. How fast change can take place is anybody's guess but this is China and I have seen things change awfully fast in the past. See http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/14/world ... .html?_r=0
but sometimes the Chinese are a bit delusional see: http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/201 ... f-bad-air/
and even more reports: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/p ... 72135.html

Air quality is a hot topic in the International School circuit in Shanghai right now. Schools are talking and working on doing what is best for their communities. But to be honest there isn't much they can do (though the International School of Beijing built a dome), short of holding kids in for recess and canceling after school activities when the AQI reaches a certain limit. Many teachers at our school have bought air purifiers for their classrooms and we have two in our apartment. The problem with bad air is that unless you have respiratory issues already you won't see the impact until much later in life, long after the decisions have been made.

I don't know what your decision making timeline is but I would encourage you to follow the AQI in Shanghai, continue to do more research as there is certainly enough information out there to help you make your decision and then balance that with the needs of your family. I have done the same and here I am, enjoying a low AQI day in Shanghai but knowing that could change tomorrow morning : )

[grdwdgrrrl]

Also the water. It caused or exacerbated my son's exzema. you can't drink it but you do bathe in it. You'll need to think about air filters and water filtering. You should check out shanghaiexpat forum and echina cities; urbanatomy, Shanghai family magazine online and shanghai mama. all of these are online resources that have forums articles and other info for living in Shanghai.

On the other hand, living in the most dynamic city on earth (I think) is pretty great. Having your kids learn Chinese is also pretty great.

Lots of things to think about.

[eion_padraig]

At least one of the Shanghai international schools is being pushed by parents for an ISBeijing style dome (http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2013/0 ... ion-domes/ )that filters the air over their athletics space.i hear Western Academy of Beijing is building one.

At this point from talking with friends living in Beijing and Shanghai, BJ is much, much worse in terms of air quality.

Be aware that many of the large Asian cities (Bangkok, Manilla, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Seoul, Hanoi, HCMC, Kuala Lumpur, etc) have problems with air pollution compared to Western cities. I think China gets more attention for it for economic/political issues related to Western media. But if it's a concern for your family, you probably want to research it for any large city in Asia.

For me pollution and to a lesser degree food contamination are really the only two concerns I have about living in China. As Mysharona points out it has been targeted as a focus for the government, though that may mean little. I think it is likely going to be dealt with since . cadre members' families are impacted by the air quality just as much as other people. The issue is that local Chinese governments have more power to influence these issues than the central government.

[skonamaj1]

I work in Chengdu China, but my head office is in Shanghai, and I have to travel there often. The air quality is shockingly bad, but this is just not Shanghai all over China the air quality is poor, and as someone with asthma I always look at the aqi air quality checker on my ipad before I go outside. I have also lived in southwest Asia, Bangkok, and manila and at the time I thought the air pollution was bad, but now that I live here their is really no comparison. China's air is downright dangerous at times.

[shadowjack]

Buy a Respro Techno City mask - you will need it!

[jboeh2]

Thanks for the feedback. This confirms what I have been reading about and made up my mind to avoid China at this time (passing up a potential job). Anyhow, with two little children, don't want to be living in constant worry about the air quality.

[eion_padraig]

I think it's a realistic concern for someone will small children to have.

It may be that in the future that China can effectively deal with their air and water pollution, so it's less of an issue. Things happen fast in China.

Good luck in your search.

[PATeach]

I've been in Shanghai since August, and air quality was (and is) one of my major concerns. I have asthma, although it hasn't been an issue since I was a little kid. On a day to day basis, the air quality is generally poor. You can taste it, sometimes. We had a few really dreadful days in December when the AQI went above 500 (which is essentially OFF the scale). It was smoggy inside my school that day.

The air is worse in more congested parts of the city. On that awful Friday in December, the AQI went over 600 in the JingAn district, which is a pretty popular part of town. Lots of the big international schools are more on the outskirts, where the quality will be bad, but not quite as bad as the central districts. I recently moved to the southernmost district of the city when my school moved to a new campus and the air is A LOT better down here. We're also a solid 60-70 km away from Shanghai proper, so that's a factor as well.

If I had kids and I was looking at a job that would pay well and take care of their schooling, I'd still go for it. There are precautions I can take to mitigate the effects of the poor air (filters at home, masks outside, etc.) and the rewards of being in a great city are worth it. The really bad days are a handful, and there's plenty to do indoors.

[sugar1]

It is and should be.

[lantana]

We live in a different city in China that has had unusually high AQI levels this winter. The air pollution levels have continued to increase in the last couple of years. We have decided to leave. On bad days, we kick ourselves to think about the possible side effects on our young children of living here and breathing the air. There is no doubt about it that the particulate matter in the air causes respiratory illness (particularly when it is over- what is it- 200?) There have been many days this winter with levels above 200. We find ourselves stressing about every health issue and wondering if it is related to the pollution. Our kids are going stir crazy from not having much outdoor time. We have decided that, for us, it is just not worth it. The money is good. The culture is interesting. Chinese culture is VERY child-friendly, which for us, is one of the great things about living here. On good days, we ask ourselves why we are overreacting, but that only lasts until the next day of poor air quality. On the other hand, and it's a significant hand, tons of people are raising their children here- both expats and Chinese. It is a personal decision that only you can make.

[wntriscoming]

I feel like lantana wrote exactly what I would have, other than the fact that we ARE living in Shanghai. The fact that we're excited when the aqi is below 200 is insane. It is scary, when you really think about it...to be excited about a level that would be an absolute crisis in another city. Sure, there are days with blue skies, but they are not as common as grey, overcast, smoggy days.

Even with air purifiers in the house, and children staying indoors for days on end during recesses at school, there comes a point when it's just not okay anymore and it's not worth the money you get by working here. When it hit over 500 on the aqi index this year, and the hallways in the school were smoggy and filled with greyness; when you realize that the, "It's not that big of a deal, calm down, you're overreacting," comments you keep hearing don't make sense anymore; when you have never had breathing problems before and you're feeling tightness in your chest and your eyes are smarting from the air, it's time to go. You're not overreacting. Really. And it's not something any of us should get used to, either.

Great schools exist here. You'll make lots of money, too, which I feel is your compensation for the pollution. You'll have access to everything from tahini to Doritos to bagels. At some point, though, that isn't enough to stay.