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Aug 6, 2008 7:04 pm US/Central
MN Company Helps Beijing Clean Up Air For Olympics
(WCCO)
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Beijing has been busy trying to clear up its skies. They've removed over 3 million cars off the roads and many are now biking to their destinations. And they've shut down more than 200 factories.
Greg Baker/AP
The opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics are just a couple days away and there is been major concern about how the athletes will deal with the smog problem there.
Some members of the U.S. cycling team even showed up at the airport with masks issued to the athletes to keep them from breathing harmful air.
For example, on the scale that measures larger air particles, the average rating here in the Twin Cities was 25 last year. In 2007, the worst rating was 80.
The normal rating for Beijing is 150. The city was also ranked as the 13th most polluted city in the world in back 2004.
Beijing has been busy trying to clear up its skies. They've removed over 3 million cars off the roads and many are now biking to their destinations. And they've shut down more than 200 factories.
U.S. athletes are still worried the pollution could hurt their performance at the games.
"I mean it's really just taking every precaution necessary. Who knows how bad it's going to be in a few days," said Michael Friedman, a member of the U.S. Track Cycling Team.
Healthy air does make a difference because when you exercise you take in about 20 percent more oxygen.
"We need some help from mother nature to blow all this atmosphere out," said Jeff Ruffolo with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the games.
Olympic officials are checking the air quality hourly. A Minnesota company, TSI Incorporated, actually developed the devices that are being used to check the air quality.
One of the gadgets they're using is called a Q-trak or an indoor monitor.
"So you'd measure ventilation coming in and then you'd measure temperature and humidity as well," said Troy Tillman with TSI.
Another device, called a dust trak, is being used outside Olympic venues and throughout the city.
"They've placed these around the stadiums ... to test and to see what is going to get into people's lungs -- for health reasons," said Tillman. "If the pollution is going to come down they'll be able to monitor it by using this device."
TSI said that while the responsibility of providing these devices for the Olympics is huge, they are glad to be able to help.
"It's quite an honor to be able to provide some instruments that maybe make the Olympics a little bit better for athletes," said Tillman.
TSI said so far the Chinese have spent about a half a million dollars on the devices.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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