The 2008 Olympics have officially begun, which means that many will finally get their questions answered regarding the effects of polluted air on Olympic athletic performance. Mark Hertsgaard’s classic 1999 novel Earth Odyssey first opened Westerners’ eyes to China’s dire environmental issues. Now that the decision has been made to host the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, it remains to be seen how Olympic athletes will be affected.
Earth Odyssey detailed the serious implications of China’s pollution problem, which occurs as a result of the country’s huge amount of coal consumption. Hertsgaard reported that the air in urban China is literally cloudy and black, and has caused many citizens to developed lung and asthma problems as a result of the poor air quality.
Medical News Today recently released a report on the affects of air pollution on Olympic athletes, which says that exercising in such an environment may cause the athletes to develop acute cases of asthma. "With exposure to an environment that has poor quality, air pollutants may trigger symptoms of asthma in a dose-dependent manner," say Donald McKenzie and Louis-Philippe Boulet. Beijing has made efforts to reduce pollution after Beijing was announced as the 2008 location, but “a significant percentage of the pollution (about 35%) at the Olympic Stadium can be attributed to sources outside Beijing. Controlling only local sources of pollution may not be sufficient to achieve the air quality goal set for the Beijing games.” |
