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Pollution Cloud Looms Large Over Olympic Games
There's a cloud forming over the Beijing Olympics. It's a big, brown and smoggy. The Olympics are two months away, and the Chinese government is trying to clean up the air for the arriving athletes and fans.
But it might not be enough. Last week the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said that the pollution reached level five: the worst possible rating.
The pollution comes from factories that burn coal, car exhaust, and even sand storms over the desert in China and Mongolia. China has spent 18 billion dollars on ways to cut pollution, and they're going to ban half the cars from driving after June to cut down on pollution. Factories will be closed during the Olympics too.
The International Olympic Committee said that some events like marathon running might be postponed or rescheduled to protect the athletes. Endurance events like running, bicycling, or tennis would be the most affected by the bad air. The pollution could hurt a runner's lungs, and athletes with asthma could have trouble breathing. The particles and chemicals in the air can make it hard for oxygen to get into the blood. Even though the air was bad last week, the Olympics are still two months away. Coaches, athletes and fans are hoping that'll be enough time for China to clean up the air and have a great Olympics.
I'm Lucy and that's what happened in sports this week!
Photo: Kevin Dooley
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