OSU Researcher Testing Air Quality During Beijing Olympics

OLYMPICS  POLLUTION  ENVIRONMENT 

By Tom Banse

Olympia, WA  August 8, 2008 4:52 a.m.

Beijing, China is not only the host city for the Olympic Games.  It’s also the scene of a massive science experiment to see if a smog-choked metropolis can clear its skies.

An Oregon State University researcher is on the ground in Beijing helping to assess the air pollution controls.  Correspondent Tom Banse called her and has this report.

The first thing everyone wants to know Staci Simonich, are there blue skies over Beijing?

Staci Simonich, an associate professor of chemistry and toxicology at Oregon State University, examines a vial containing air pollutants at her Corvallis lab. Simonich is now in Beijing to monitor the air quality before and during the Olympics.

Staci Simonich: “Yeah, the key term is a ‘Blue Sky Day.’  That’s what everyday is hoped for during the Olympics in Beijing.  But today it’s cloudy and a bit hazy. So it’s an in between day.”

Simonich is used to measuring Chinese air pollution from afar -- as in when it blows over to us here in the Pacific Northwest.  Now for two weeks she’s up close. 

She says Beijing’s air has improved this week, but it’s still the worst she’s ever breathed. 

The Oregon State University environmental chemist is taking daily samples of airborne particulate matter.  She’s part of a multinational research team that’s tracking air quality for the Olympics.

Staci Simonich: “Every morning at about 9 a.m., the security guard for the building lets us up on the roof.  It’s a seven-story building on the Peking University campus.”

Air monitoring info is shared with coaches.  But for Simonich, the real heavy lifting begins when she returns to Corvallis.

She’ll analyze and then publish on how one of the world’s most polluted cities did when it tried to scrub its air.

Staci Simonich: “And hopefully that information can be applied to other mega-cities around the world.”

Simonich says she was one of the few Westerners to get a sneak preview of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies.  A Chinese professor gave her a ticket to a dress rehearsal.  Her insider tip: definitely watch it on TV Friday night.

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© 2008 KUOW