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7, 2011 Clean Air A 'Luxury' In Beijing's Pollution Zone On the
way to school, my kids and I play a guessing game: How polluted
is the air today? We use an app linked to the air pollution
monitor at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and we try to guess the
day's exact level on the Air Quality Index, and whether the air
is dangerous. These days, chances are that it could well be. For
more than half of the past 60 days, the air pollution has hit
levels hazardous to human health. Experts estimate long-term
exposure to such pollution could reduce life expectancy by as
much as five years. But I don't tell the kids that. Living
inside the pollution zone, those daily measurements determine
how my family spends its days. Whenever the levels hit "very
unhealthy," we keep the kids indoors and refuse to let them take
part in outdoor activities, no matter how much whining might
ensue. When to wear a pollution mask, when to stay indoors, it's
all become crucial k