Atmospheric chemist Kenneth Rahn regularly travels to China to consult with scientists there about the country's air pollution problem. Rahn took your questions about pollution in Beijing during the run-up to the Olympic Games.
How does the pollution in Beijing compare to that of Los Angeles or other major metropolitan areas in the United States?
Kenneth Rahn responds:
Most pollutants in Beijing are several times more concentrated that we in the United States are used to. Their ozone, however, is not so different from ours, but their particulate matter is much higher. The limited data on carbon monoxide (CO) I have seen is also much higher than we are used to.
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