[On Lifestyle] Living Breathlessly…

Every time I read another news article about the sickening state of smog in Beijing, I want to scream.

How can anyone live in a shroud of smoky fog day in and day out?

How can any civilized society allow polluting culprits to go unpunished?

How do children and the elderly cope?

The New York Times article that set me off screaming these questions also raises a looming specter that the air is likely to get worse before it gets better. The deteriorating pollution in Beijing is also affecting Hong Kong, my hometown.

In the past two years, I’ve been visiting these two cities every six months to see my family in Hong Kong and friends in Beijing. Every time I was there, I noticed the skies looking murky and murkier, my throat feeling sore and scatchy, more people wearing face masks and appearing sad.

In a country that prides itself as the fastest growing economic power in the world, it’s a shame that people are living virtually breathlessly. What’s the point of making lots of money that will be spent on medicine? What’s the point of earning for a living when your quality of life is threatened by the air you breathe?

Every breath my friends and family in Hong Kong and Beijing take is potentially toxic, building up serious harmful effects that we know can cause anything from minor eye and throat irritation, to deadly diseases such as lung cancer.

A good friend in New York who’s a venture capitalist recently told me he’s working with a Chinese businesswoman in raising fund and seeking medical technology and talent to build a cancer hospital in Shanghai. They already see a growing market demand from patients who’ll need cutting edge treatment for cancer. Lung cancer in particular – because of air pollution. Smog can slowly ruin people’s lungs in a way that’s similar to that of cigarettes.

My father has quit smoking many years ago after his doctor warned him his lungs could soon be so blackened by his 2-pack a day habit that they may not show up in X-ray. Now in his 80s, he stays at home; avoiding all kinds of air pollutants. But when he sees me this summer, he may not recognize me with my facemask on.