Comments on: What to Do about Beijing Air http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2009/01/30/what-to-do-about-beijing-air/ Self-Experimentation, Scientific Method, the Shangri-La Diet, etc. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:41:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.7 by: mc http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2009/01/30/what-to-do-about-beijing-air/#comment-284588 Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:44:19 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2009/01/30/what-to-do-about-beijing-air/#comment-284588 Which is why I usually rephrase that point as "You can eat mostly meat." They also ate a lot of organ meats; vitamin C and other vital things are present in liver, and I don't see how you can get on without that one. ;) Which is why I usually rephrase that point as “You can eat mostly meat.”

They also ate a lot of organ meats; vitamin C and other vital things are present in liver, and I don’t see how you can get on without that one. ;)

]]> by: Will Croxford http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2009/01/30/what-to-do-about-beijing-air/#comment-275099 Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:05:25 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2009/01/30/what-to-do-about-beijing-air/#comment-275099 Dear Seth, Thanks kindly for the reply. You will help my family and I to breathe more easily I should think - I can read Chinese so will check out the Amazon site. As far as I understand about air conditioners, the filters should be cleaned professionally once a year, I guess the foam stuff he used was the right thing. Best wishes, Will Croxford Dear Seth, Thanks kindly for the reply. You will help my family and I to breathe more easily I should think - I can read Chinese so will check out the Amazon site. As far as I understand about air conditioners, the filters should be cleaned professionally once a year, I guess the foam stuff he used was the right thing. Best wishes, Will Croxford

]]> by: seth http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2009/01/30/what-to-do-about-beijing-air/#comment-274208 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:39:39 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2009/01/30/what-to-do-about-beijing-air/#comment-274208 My air filters are from Yadu. You can get a low price on the Chinese amazon site but you need to be able to read Chinese. I got the cheap air filter (1000 RMB) at Carrefour; the more expensive one (1500 RMB) I got online. I know nothing about cleaning air conditioners, sorry. It isn't the bacteria in the air that worries me, it's all the combustion byproducts, which I'm sure are carcinogenic. My air filters are from Yadu. You can get a low price on the Chinese amazon site but you need to be able to read Chinese. I got the cheap air filter (1000 RMB) at Carrefour; the more expensive one (1500 RMB) I got online.
I know nothing about cleaning air conditioners, sorry.

It isn’t the bacteria in the air that worries me, it’s all the combustion byproducts, which I’m sure are carcinogenic.

]]> by: Will Croxford http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2009/01/30/what-to-do-about-beijing-air/#comment-274181 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:57:13 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2009/01/30/what-to-do-about-beijing-air/#comment-274181 Dear Seth, I live in Beijing and am just thinking about buying an air filter, your comments make a lot of sense, but can you tell me which air filter you bought, or any suggestions where to find out about cheaper air filters? If it's a super hot summer's day, you have all the windows closed and the air con on full blast, can your air filter(s) keep up? I see IQair have their own stores in Beijing now, and their website is conspicuous in its lack of price information. They seem to have their marketing to the Shunyi expat community worked out very clearly, perhaps they will have chronically asthmatic children on the next ad to really hammer home the fear factor. Otherwise, a certain exposure to bacteria is a good thing surely, if your IQair unit gets rid of all the bacteria at home, as soon as your young kids go outside their immune systems will be less prepared to deal with all the bacteria on the street? Reminds me of the Japanese craze for sanitising everything which as far as I understood was not good for their general asthma levels. The other thing I wonder about is cleaning air conditioners. I got ours cleaned at home last summer. I got a guy who was recommended by the manufacturer but did not actually work for them (freelance fixer) and he came and took the cover off, sprayed some foam all over the filters and left that to soak in, then topped up the coolant one one as some of it had leaked. But I don't know how to confirm what that foam was, or if it could have been an air pollutant in itself. How could I possibly know if he fobbed us off with the cheap foam version.. Just in case you have researched such a thing yourself. He charged 150RMB for both air cons which seemed cheap anyway. sorry to rabble on but thanks if you have any suggestions for the air filter, Sincerely, Will Croxford (Beijing resident) Dear Seth,

I live in Beijing and am just thinking about buying an air filter, your comments make a lot of sense, but can you tell me which air filter you bought, or any suggestions where to find out about cheaper air filters?

If it’s a super hot summer’s day, you have all the windows closed and the air con on full blast, can your air filter(s) keep up?

I see IQair have their own stores in Beijing now, and their website is conspicuous in its lack of price information. They seem to have their marketing to the Shunyi expat community worked out very clearly, perhaps they will have chronically asthmatic children on the next ad to really hammer home the fear factor.

Otherwise, a certain exposure to bacteria is a good thing surely, if your IQair unit gets rid of all the bacteria at home, as soon as your young kids go outside their immune systems will be less prepared to deal with all the bacteria on the street? Reminds me of the Japanese craze for sanitising everything which as far as I understood was not good for their general asthma levels.

The other thing I wonder about is cleaning air conditioners. I got ours cleaned at home last summer. I got a guy who was recommended by the manufacturer but did not actually work for them (freelance fixer) and he came and took the cover off, sprayed some foam all over the filters and left that to soak in, then topped up the coolant one one as some of it had leaked. But I don’t know how to confirm what that foam was, or if it could have been an air pollutant in itself. How could I possibly know if he fobbed us off with the cheap foam version.. Just in case you have researched such a thing yourself. He charged 150RMB for both air cons which seemed cheap anyway.

sorry to rabble on but thanks if you have any suggestions for the air filter, Sincerely,

Will Croxford (Beijing resident)

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