Quote:
Originally Posted by Hack&Lube
What is the pollution like in China? Are you ever fearful about the foods that you are eating? As part of a Chinese-Canadian family in Canada, I know that we will actually avoid food products from mainland China as much as possible.
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The pollution also varies greatly from place to place. The city in which I live now, which is 6-7 million people, is relatively clean. The sky is clear and blue on a daily basis with little sign of smog. This is despite being China's equivalent of Detroit with a huge amount of auto manufacturing here. There are many large, beautiful parks and streets are all tree-lined. The air is quite fresh, and the city actually reminds me a little of Calgary.
Pollution can be extreme though. I spent one month last year living in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. I understand this to be one of the ten most polluted cities in the world, though the third most polluted in that province. There is coal mining as well as steel and chemical production there. The air quality was terrible on a daily basis, and even on clear days I often couldn't see blue sky if I looked directly up. Chronic health problems there are severe. Nonetheless, it was actually not very difficult living in that level of pollution. I never found myself having difficulty breathing.
Here is a picture of what Taiyuan was like on a normal day:
In the cities like Shanghai or Beijing air quality is clearly a problem, but it is very livable and not really so severe when you consider that a city like Shanghai has around 22 million people. Also, these cities are becoming cleaner and cleaner all the time. The rate of development in these cities is phenomenal, and issues with air quality are often the result of dust from the amount of construction going on.
Regarding the food, I am generally not fearful of what I eat, although I am conscious of the health risks involved. I avoid drinking tap water, though I am aware it used in cooking often and I am conscious of other chemicals in local foods. Many Chinese are very conscious of these problems and take care in their food preparation to reduce dangers as much as possible. Everyone understands that the government agencies in charge of ensuring food safety simply aren't reliable. The consumer must be conscious of what they are consuming.