UCI sampling air quality during Beijing Olympics

The Orange County Register

August 15th, 2008

By Gary Robbins

A chemist from UC Irvine’s famous Blake-Rowland atmospheric research lab is taking extensive air samples in Beijing during the Olympic Games to help identify the type and amount of gas floating through the skies of one of the world’s most polluted cities.

Simone Meinardi is storing the gas in cannisters that will be shipped back to UCI, which is known internationally for the accuracy and precision of its measurements.

“We started collecting samples a week or so before industry started being shut down (to reduce pollution) and prior to vehicular restrictions,” says Don Blake. “We will collect through the Olympics and during the power-up of industry and increase in vehicular traffic.

“We have no data for the study yet but it will be interesting to see what gas concentrations are reduced by the restrictions. We won’t get the samples back until September so we won’t have results until a month or so after that. Meinardi is handling the gas sampling while Tao Wang, a collaborator from Hong Kong, studies particulate.”

Although air quality is comparatively good this morning in Beijing, it’s been bad during some days of the Games, upsetting athletes who believe the foul air can affect their health and athletic performance.

You may wonder whether the smog in Southern California was ever as bad as it has been this summer in Beijing. I answered that question in an earlier post.