Everyone's watching the weather these days, particularly in Beijing. The Chinese government has removed many cars from the roads, suspended construction work and closed factories. But as the Summer Olympics approach, Beijing remains shrouded in a stubborn haze of particulate matter.
Last week, the level was two to three times the standard set by the World Health Organization. The air was better over the weekend, but a haze returned yesterday.
Experts say that unless it is swept away by wind or rain, the dirty air could mean fewer Olympic records, slower times run by many athletes and higher health risks.
Taking cars off the roads and closing factories helps - but what would really do the trick is a good gully-washer or a day of strong winds, experts say.
"A lot is going to depend on weather patterns," said Kenneth W. Rundell, director of respiratory research and director of the Human Physiology Laboratory at Marywood University in Scranton, Pa.
Olympic athletes are taking precautions that include wearing high-tech masks once they arrive in Beijing and using acupuncture to build up lung function and immune systems.
"The air is a serious concern for all the athletes going over there," said Dennis Mitchell, a three-time Olympic medalist coaching two members of the Olympic track and field at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla.
Damu Cherry, one of Mitchell's athletes who will compete in the 100-meter hurdles, was able to stop taking her asthma medications about three years ago because acupuncture treatments were so effective, Mitchell said.
"You try to find as many natural ways to help as you can," Mitchell said.
High-tech masks, developed in secrecy, are designed so athletes can limit the intake of polluted air once they arrive in Beijing, according to an Olympic spokesman.
"Will we have an edge over other countries that don't wear anything over their mouths? Perhaps. Obviously we want to do all that we can to put our athletes in a position to win medals," Tim Yount, a U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman, wrote in an e-mail.
Health experts are divided over whether Beijing's air - which had two to three times the particulate matter of Los Angeles as of 2004 - can cause lasting damage to the lungs of those visiting.
But most agree that with air so polluted, athletes could feel a difference in their lungs with only one or two days of exposure and that it will make it harder for them to reach peak performance levels.
