Playing It Safe in Beijing

by Benjamin L. Grimley

"Three years in Beijing. Three years here, and you can really get sick," a French sales manager told me over sips of Australian wine amid the relative opulence of the Capital Club. He is right, but there is much you can do to reduce the risks of living in this city.

Breathing

An air purifier which can filter out pollutant particles as small as two microns can significantly improve the air quality in your home or office. In the warmer months, be sure to clean the filter on your air conditioner. A humidifier may help prevent colds during the arid Beijing winter. (House plants, which create oxygen, cannot hurt, either.) Seal your windows with tape to keep out dust and clean often to prevent build-up.

The various pollutants and pollens swirling about the atmosphere can also trigger all sorts of asthma attacks. If you have a severe reaction, especially with persistent congestion or coughing, simply stay indoors, where you can control the environment. Outdoors there is little one can do short of sporting a diving apparatus with a couple of oxygen packs. Although cloth breathing masks are useful for filtering dust and coal particles, by all accounts they fail to keep out the more harmful microparticles. Do not exercise outside on days when you cannot discern the outlines of buildings. (The "fog" is low-lying pollution.) Cardiovascular activity, according to Yannick Glemarec, UN Development Program Environmental and Energy Division chief, dramatically increases air flow through your respiratory system, thus rapidly building up pollutants in your lungs.

Typical respiratory ailments in Beijing include bronchitis - basically an inflammation of the lining of the main breathing tubes - and pneumonia. One type, known as lobar pneumonia, can occur rather rapidly, causing vomiting, fever and shivering. This was once fatal, said Dr. Seamus Ryan of Beijing United Family Hospital, but nowadays it is easily treated with antibiotics.

Drinking

In general, Beijing drinking water is pretty safe, said Dr. Kingsley Gee, World Health Organization (WHO) representative - although the WHO has not conducted any studies on the subject. (That is left to the Chinese Ministry of Health.) He found that the water supply is well-chlorinated to prevent a high concentration of bacteria.

Still, a non-native should drink only boiled water, Gee said, even if your server or a long-time Beijing resident insists that the water is perfectly fine unboiled. It may be safe for them, but it is not necessarily safe for you because it takes time to develop an immunity (or indifference) to local contaminants. Bottled water is generally your best bet, although Dr. Gee recalled even a bottle of famous brand was found to be of poor quality.

Glemarec also emphasized that bacteria are not killed in a frozen state. Therefore, to minimize the risk of food poisoning, do not drink your soft drink or juice with ice made from tap water.

Eating

Eat food that has been thoroughly cooked and is still hot when served, Gee said. The Beijing district health inspectors in charge of monitoring street food are becoming more aware of sanitation problems, but many unlicensed vendors do manage to stay in business.

Definitely avoid raw food. A good Japanese sushi restaurant may be quite safe. But then again, it may not. Never eat rare meats either. Gee said hotpot is a safe cooking method, since the meat is thinly sliced and then immersed in boiling water. Establishments with a high volume of customers are often safest because the meat does not sit around too long. If you do plan to eat raw fruits and vegetables, be sure to wash and peel them.

However, Glemarec cautioned people not to overdo it. For example, he said, some expatriates will eat only imported and packaged goods. "If you become obsessed with it, you will not develop immunities," he said. "One tiny incident will be enough for you to get very sick. Basically, we recommend common sense."

Parents need to use common sense also when supervising their children. Peeling paint (especially from cribs and toys, on which kids tend to nibble), contaminated soil and antique glazed ceramics may contain high lead concentrations. According to Dr. John Aldis at the US Embassy, the Chinese government found 70 percent of Beijing children to have lead levels possibly toxic to their mental development (above 10 micrograms per deciliter). At the same time, preliminary studies by Aldis himself have found very acceptable lead levels in foreign children ages six months to six years, many of whom have been in Beijing since birth. He has found no correlation between the length of stay in Beijing and test results. He suggests, however, that you screen your children regularly and watch what they put into their mouths.

Hygiene

Routine immunizations, such as Hepatitis A and B and tetanus, can prevent many potentially serious illnesses. So can washing your hands with anti-bacterial soap before eating. (Bring clean wipes for restaurants without washrooms.) Mop and wash at home with a bleach solution to kill bacteria, a spokesperson for Beijing United Family Hospital recommended.

While journalistic reports cite incidents of used needles' being rewrapped as disposables, these reports are unverified, Gee said. He thinks the chances of encountering a contaminated needle at a Beijing hospital are rather slim, but agrees that travelers should be vigilant in rural areas and may want further immunizations. (Check with your embassy.)