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[podcast]http://66.147.244.109/~myfamio6/myhealthbeijing/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/110907_CUT.mp3[/podcast]
There’s been an amazingly impressive and encouraging discussion in China these last couple weeks regarding air pollution. No longer am I alone shouting into the wind about PM2.5; now, China’s Weibo microblog world as well as all mainstream press are heavily discussing not only PM2.5 versus PM10, but even the CEO of the SOHO group, Pan Shiyi, is on his Weibo posting images of the US Embassy’s air pollution AQI feed (using his iPhone app Beijing Air Quality) to his 7.4 million fans. I think it’s a great and important step for China.
This brings me to today’s first discussion on my weekly 5-minute radio interview on EZFM’s Beijing Hour. We first discuss a report in Shanghai Daily which discusses “Cancer Chemicals Found in Fog” in Shanghai. My first reaction was: fog is not smog! I know we always see this in the papers, but it’s simply incorrect to label Beijing’s recent air as fog when it absolutely is not simple, healthy, San Francisco-romantic fog. No, it’s definitely AQI-skyrocketing smog. My second reaction is: of course there are cancer-causing agents in air pollution. This is a well-known public health issue for decades. But the bottom line is that it’s really great that Chinese newspapers are now covering this issue in much more detail and raising awareness.
My second part of the interview discusses yet another trial exposing yet another counterfeit drug ring in China, this time focusing mostly on counterfeit Viagra. I strongly advise people not to buy any medicines on Taobao or similar websites, as the counterfeit rate is reported to be amazingly high. Nor would I recommend any “Viagra-ish” herbal medicines sold in the sex stores, especially the smallest stores. You simply do not know what chemicals are in it, and many are laced with actual prescription medicines or even contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides. You really get what you pay for. If you have a true medical problem with erections and your relationship is suffering, please go to your doctor and get evaluated.
You can listen to the podcast at the links above: in the meantime, here’s an image I posted on my Weibo to help demonstrate how fog is not smog:
More Podcast Information
You can always listen live to my radio interview each Wednesday around 7:35am Beijing time, on the Beijing Hour program on EZFM 91.5, which is broadcast from 7-8am every weekday by host Paul James. EZFM is the popular bilingual radio station on the China Radio International network, broadcasting here in Beijing and on multiple stations all over the world, as well as live online here.
You can listen to all my previous podcasts at the podcast archive.
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Photography: www.richardsaintcyr.com