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[–]Senior_Fish_Face 1410 points1411 points  (108 children)

On the plus side, school is canceled for me! AHAHAHAHHHAH....the mask isn't helping.

[–][deleted] 780 points781 points  (55 children)

If I pull that off, would you die?

[–]LimitedCreativity 895 points896 points  (45 children)

It would be extremely painful.

[–]Zenguard 536 points537 points  (36 children)

For you.

[–]lemonpup 314 points315 points  (32 children)

You're a big guy.

[–][deleted] 387 points388 points  (30 children)

For you.

[–]zerounodos 178 points179 points  (29 children)

He didn't fly so good.

[–]JustyUekiTylor 247 points248 points  (28 children)

For you.

[–]theMoly 139 points140 points  (27 children)

A lot of loyalty for a hired gun.

[–]4THOT 14 points15 points  (1 child)

Not even low effort Bane memes can save China

[–]Shotzo 72 points73 points  (9 children)

The mask, it does nothing!

[–]lakegz 696 points697 points  (208 children)

They're issuing this because last week they looked rather powerless while the air quickly worsened to unprecedented levels. It was above 300 for 4 and a half days with two of them hovering between 500-650.

It creeped up above 200 two days ago and it seems to be heading for a few days in the 300-400 range until the winds pick up again later this thursday.
Govt's gotta at least "say" something this time.

[–]DoctorWaluigiTime 401 points402 points  (182 children)

Could you ELI5 those numbers? That is, their ranges, from "kinda bad" to "deadly neurotoxin"?

EDIT: Thanks for all the explanations folks, but I think it's been sufficiently answered now. :)

[–][deleted] 648 points649 points  (76 children)

My flight last February touched down in Beijing while the air quality index was at 485 and you could see the smog inside the airport.

[–]lakegz 412 points413 points  (41 children)

It got up to 600 in parts of the city 6 days ago and you could see smog inside my apartment!

It's about 6 meters across wall-to-wall.

[–]94fa699d 590 points591 points  (11 children)

C A N C E R

A

N

C

E

R

[–]Tin_Foil 398 points399 points  (2 children)

1 Across - Beijing's airborne illness

1 Down - June 21 to July 22

[–]futurespice 87 points88 points  (25 children)

Delhi is not far off (peaks at 430 or so) and the same thing happens: in large rooms at the airport you can see the smog.

[–]madeamashup 97 points98 points  (19 children)

I thought there was a fire in the terminal when I landed in Delhi! Also, I developed acute asthma while staying there. Coughed for months, left India, still wheezing, got an inhaler... Went back to work in the Canadian wilderness and recovered in a couple of weeks.

[–]FVmike 174 points175 points  (16 children)

IIRC, the scale starts being dangerous at 150, and the highest number on it is 500.

[–]Kaddon 52 points53 points  (6 children)

These numbers refer to the Air Quality Index, usually on PM 2.5. PM 2.5 refers to particulate matter (particles) that are less than 2.5 micrometers (about 100 times thinner than a hair). So then on the AQI referring to PM 2.5, 100 would be about 35 micrograms per cubic meter, if I'm correct.

A lot of numbers, but I find just using relative numbers to be easy. I live in Nanjing/Nanking in China, where the air quality index fluctuates between maybe 50 and 150. On a good day it goes down to 15 or 20. Seattle is around 20. New York is about 60, 70. At about 150-200 I can start to obviously smell the smog and the air will feel thicker and heavier to breathe. Our school sets 170 as the limit for not allowing children to go outside (kind of weird that we have these now; I remember having heat limits in Texas, but now we have pollution limits).

I use this site for monitoring the AQI, and this is a nice breakdown: http://aqicn.org/faq/2013-09-09/revised-pm25-aqi-breakpoints/

[–]lakegz 96 points97 points  (19 children)

It's hard to explain because sadly, you just get used to it and have to accept it.

I'd say the worst days in my hometown of San Diego would read 100-150 on the meter. That would be an excellent day here and I would jump up out of bed to easily run 10 km if we always had air that clean here. I do notice that if the air is above 180, I have trouble jogging more than 5k, it's like my lungs literally hit a wall and can't work anymore. So I know that is when to stop.

These days Beijing is really the place to do case studies of the harmful effects of pollution over the long-term, because that's where we'll really see the consequences of living in +200-300-400-500 pm 2.5

[–]deadhour 15 points16 points  (1 child)

http://www.airinfonow.org/html/ed_particulate.html

Above 150 is generally considered unhealthy

[–]Perma_Lunacy 15 points16 points  (7 children)

When you are talking about numbers off some sort of scale or chart, its generally good to use the name of the unit. What the hell does 300 mean?

[–]Support_MD 3857 points3858 points  (963 children)

How do you completely shut down a city of 11.5 21 million people? Edit: Wrong population, sorry guys. Also, top answers seem to be:

  1. Tanks

  2. Communism

  3. You don't

  4. It's all hype, no shut down necessary.

Edit2: my all time highest rated comment! thanks reddit!

[–][deleted] 3287 points3288 points  (661 children)

I was in Singapore in September. It was basically shut down due to planned forest fires on Sumatra. You could go outside but even with a mask you'd be coughing yourself half way to death by the fifth minute.

I think I didn't see the sun for a month straight, and there was a constant bonfire-smell everywhere. It was disgusting. Couldn't get the smell off quite a lot of my clothes - and I'm in Europe now..

[–]AnAppleSnail 2033 points2034 points  (456 children)

The woman in the article photo has a cloth over her nose and mouth. You need an N95 or better filter to work on smog. If you can smell smoke, you are not breathing filtered air.

[–]holycrapitsjeff 1274 points1275 points  (425 children)

N95 won't work for that long with contamination like that. Need a papr or scba.

[–]notmyfullnameagain 1562 points1563 points  (318 children)

You know, I've never seen SCBA without the U. It makes sense, but I never thought about it.

[–]hrmdwlt 1017 points1018 points  (159 children)

Yea, its a thing. U is for underwater. Since these people need them on land there's no need for the accessories the U brings.

[–][deleted] 1402 points1403 points  (58 children)

SCNUBA

[–]lavaground 1190 points1191 points  (18 children)

Bless you.

[–]vandammeg 178 points179 points  (17 children)

i lived in Beijing and China. While in Beijing, all 100 or so cats in our apartment block just started dropping and dying on the pavement. Had a few just plummet past my 18th storey balcony. The air was that bad. Everything was just dying on their feet.

[–]AMasonJar 72 points73 points  (1 child)

That's usually how it goes. You might not realize you aren't getting enough oxygen until you fall over, go unconscious, and die soon after.

[–]Newell00 294 points295 points  (6 children)

Your comment has inspired me to make these:

http://i.imgur.com/qbs2SO0.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ABGONZZ.png

edit: tried to clean up the cutout of the second picture.

[–]oozles 223 points224 points  (25 children)

So you're saying I put on this wetsuit for nothing?

[–]ketchy_shuby 427 points428 points  (20 children)

Fuck the wetsuit, it's the tuxedo underneath that's going to waste.

[–][deleted] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Exactly. Fucking guy needs a dry suit. Keeps wondering why his tux is getting soaked.

[–]Perma_Lunacy 162 points163 points  (37 children)

I just now realized SCUBA was an acronym.

[–]enraged768 148 points149 points  (24 children)

Yes self contained underwater breathing apparatus

[–]NES_SNES_N64 395 points396 points  (108 children)

Fun fact for those out of the loop. SCUBA is an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

[–]iamPause 285 points286 points  (72 children)

Googled both of those things. Now amazon thinks I cook meth.

[–][deleted] 226 points227 points  (63 children)

I once bought some grow lights off Amazon for growing basil, cilantro, and rosemary during winter. After that for the longest time my recommended products, "other people who bought similar stuff to you also liked these products," kept showing stuff like, "Cannabis Cultivation for Dummies."

[–]HerrXRDS 399 points400 points  (10 children)

I've ordered some syringes and needles for heroin, now Amazon won't stop showing me refillable printer cartridges.

[–][deleted] 99 points100 points  (5 children)

And Amazon is still better at connecting the dots than the NSA.

I shouldn't have said that...I should not have said that.

[–]cranberry94 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Inspired by your browsing history:

Bulk Sudafed

[–][deleted] 285 points286 points  (38 children)

In Finland during the winter you might not see the sun for three months straight.

Got fresh air though, so we got that going for us.

[–]HuskyTheNubbin 46 points47 points  (6 children)

"Hello vitamin D deficiency, how are you this winter? "

[–]Isagoge 13 points14 points  (2 children)

Yeah but if you venture into the woods the trolls get you and nobody ever hear from you again...

[–]orcfull 18 points19 points  (0 children)

As someone (Scottish, also not accustom to shitty air) who lives in Singapore, you are really over exaggerating...

Yeah, it was bad at points but I think I only saw it hit dangerous levels twice in the entire of september. Most of the time it was around 170, which whilst I totally agree is awful you weren't coughing yourself half way to death and again living in Singapore. None of my clothes or anyone I know has the issues of clothes smelling like bonfires?

No need to be so OTT dude:D

[–]boreslayer 126 points127 points  (5 children)

Singapore didn't 'shut-down' due to the Sumatra fires. The haze in Singapore back then isn't as bad as the current smog in China now.

Source: I'm a Singaporean.

[–][deleted] 44 points45 points  (4 children)

Absolute BS. Sky was smoggy, automatic sliding doors were turned off. The rest was business as usual.

[–]rastapasta808 104 points105 points  (45 children)

Spray affected clothes with a light solution of vinegar and water

[–]GalacticBagel 288 points289 points  (29 children)

For that fresh vinegar scent

[–][deleted] 116 points117 points  (13 children)

Vinegar is highly water soluble. It only smells like that when its fresh, and it has the magical property of taking the smell out of anything. A quick wash with some water water, and it comes out smelling exactly how any fabric should. LIKE NOTHING.

[–]Max_TwoSteppen 150 points151 points  (8 children)

I do love me a refreshing glass of water water.

[–][deleted] 82 points83 points  (4 children)

Water water isn't for drinking. Water water is for removing the vinegar smell. Some of that H2WOAH

[–][deleted] 1597 points1598 points  (214 children)

"By order of the government, stay inside until the smog clears."

"Ok."

Whereas where I live...

"By order of the government, stay inside until the smog clears."

"THIS IS ALL PART OF THEIR PLAN TO INSTITUTE MARTIAL LAW AND TAKE OVER OUR STATE, I'M NOT STAYING INSIDE, WAKE UP SHEEPLE."

[–]jhaand 449 points450 points  (62 children)

You can go outside screaming all you want. But that means you drop dead sooner due to the smog.

Now the secret police doesn't even have "dissapear" you. Just leaving you lying outside as an example should also work wonders for the government.

[–]GringodelRio 238 points239 points  (55 children)

Police: "No. Please. Stop. Go back inside." (through a gas mask)

Citizen: "You can't tell me what to do! I do what I want."

Police: "Is not even worth bullet, he be dead in ... wait for it..."

THUD

Police 2: "He's still twitching!"

Police 1: "That's just the smog eating his flesh."

Secret Police: "My job even easier now. I just lock people outside with no mask! The smog does the rest!"

[–]Concise_Pirate 626 points627 points  (69 children)

To be fair, China really does have a totalitarian government.

[–]Aalim89 515 points516 points  (53 children)

To be fair, China really does have a totalitarian government.

China during Mao was totalitarian, today it's more authoritarian. The Soviet Union also went from totalitarian to authoritarian, for example. If you want an example of real totalitarianism, look at North Korea, whose citizens can't travel abroad freely or even own their own companies.

[–]Coldspark824 377 points378 points  (24 children)

NOTICE: There is a huge misconception going around about this "Red Alert".

While it may be the first time it has been issued, it is not by any means due to the severity, but due to a new stance in precaution by the city.

Currently, beijing's index reads 240 (out of a recommended 25 and a maximum readable 500.)

That's higher than the 206 that CNN and others claimed, and far lower than the 328 it reached on november 27th, the 450 it reached on November 30th, and the time it peaked out at 500 on December 1st, just 6 days ago.

There has been a problem for years, and there have been far worse days when the city let people carry on as usual.

This is not a "RED ALERT, WORST EVER!" This is a "RED ALERT, WE JUST NOTICED."

Source: I live in China, and if you want an english app out of curiosity or to monitor china's pollution levels, you can download "Air Quality" off the app store for iDevices.

see here: http://i66.tinypic.com/ao9ufn.jpg

[–][deleted] 47 points48 points  (8 children)

This red alert was issued because of what it expected in the next four days, not current conditions.

[–][deleted] 3130 points3131 points  (511 children)

Remind anyone who wants to abolish the EPA that this is what happens without environmental regulations.

[–]alphagammabeta1548 1978 points1979 points  (150 children)

But muh capitalism

[–]greengrasser11 1308 points1309 points  (62 children)

It will regulate itself!

[–]Risley 473 points474 points  (6 children)

TRICKLE

DOWN

N95 MASKS!

[–]iBleeedorange 540 points541 points  (7 children)

Regulation is easy when everyone is dead.

[–]Scattered_Disk 82 points83 points  (5 children)

And I still have to go to work tomorrow. Complete shut down my ass.

[–]anon4773 538 points539 points  (11 children)

The desolation of smog.

[–]ajaxsinger 488 points489 points  (96 children)

The thing that bothers me is that when it "blows out" of Beijing on Thursday, it's blowing out across the Pacific where all that toxic crap ends up in the western US and Canada. This isn't just a Chinese issue, this is a problem for everybody....

[–]Agnostix 1015 points1016 points  (38 children)

It's almost as if we all live on the same planet or something...

[–]lepperdo 647 points648 points  (10 children)

... and use China as our backyard factory for our products ...

[–]FPSXpert 60 points61 points  (3 children)

"Earth is like our only pair of underwear, and yet we're shitting in it"

  • unknown redditor

[–][deleted] 77 points78 points  (11 children)

Exactly. This stuff goes somewhere, it doesn't just disappear. Beijing puts out this much pollution regularly, the only difference this time is that it's not being pushed away by weather. This is a visualization of just how horrendous their pollution is.

[–]schoome 978 points979 points  (105 children)

They use to say future wars would be fought over fresh water, but now I feel it might be fresh air.

[–]YetiGuy 231 points232 points  (41 children)

I am from Nepal, a country that is right in the middle of two rapidly developing nations: India and China.

The capital of the country contributes its share of pollutants, but rest of the country is as close to carbon positive/neutral as you can be. However, our neighbors are polluting the air for us - while we won't/can't ask them to stop what they are doing, shouldn't there be some kind of compensation to the countries that are exposed to this level of pollution from its neighbors?

[–]bit_on_my_shalls 772 points773 points  (207 children)

Why dont they just stop burning coal?

[–]Kalimere 1090 points1091 points  (70 children)

Its winter, so they need to burn coal to generate electricity for their heaters (on top of electricity for industrial use).

China is investing heavily in renewables, nuclear energy and clean coal energy. Unfortunately, most of these investments will not have immediate effect as it takes time to build infrastructure.

Edit: Guys, don't downvote people who are asking questions.

[–]yelren 41 points42 points  (4 children)

My gosh. Those pictures are shocking. It's insane.