Am I the only one freaking out about the bad air quality for the past days? For context, I live in a rural town in Hiroshima and was gobsmacked at the current quality index (about 130+) for the past days. Living somewhere to the Northeast (in Niigata), I never encountered this number before. Is anybody else worried about this? Is there anything we could do to prevent possible respiratory complications?
7 comments
Umm… Wear mask?
Western Japan gets some aeolian dust, which contributes to the bad air quality. It is a good idea to wear a good mask outside on such days.
Proximity to China and other Asian countries with heavy pollution rates means western Japan is at the mercy of its neighbors.
All you can do is mask up and keep your fingers crossed that the cancer gremlin doesn’t nibble on your lungs.
Wear a PM 2.5 mask when you’re outdoors if you’re really worried about it. You can thank China for the air pollution in Western Japan and most of the litter that washes up on the beaches.
Happens every winter. Try to stay indoors, run a air purifier if you wish, wait for favourable winds or spring to come.
I used to live in a tiny rural town in Hiroshima Pref 20+ years ago. My neighbours burned their plastic garbage weekly next to their perpetually tied up dog. Knowing they wouldn’t change their ways, I tried to seal up me place the best I could and get air purifiers to take up the slack.
I was thinking to myself that a weird fog had just appeared over Hiroshima this past few days.
In comparison to air quality I have experienced in the Middle East, it’s currently not so bad out there.