He recommended N95 filter respirators, a type of mask designed to combat PM2.5 and intended for those with no alternative to going outdoors. "They definitely stop PM2.5. The definition of N95 literally means it filters 95 percent of particulate matter — as small as PM0.3 microns, much smaller than PM2.5."
Unsurprisingly, sales of N95 masks surged tenfold on Friday and Saturday compared with the daily average, according to data provided by Taobao and Tmall, two online marketplaces that together hold more than 70 percent of China's online retail market. Local media in Beijing also reported that the capital's pharmacies have almost sold out of face masks, PM2.5-proof or not.
Saint Cyr emphasized that children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to spikes in air pollution and suggested that all school systems create air pollution "action plans" based on the science once the official hourly monitoring of PM2.5 begins nationwide.
Emergency plans
In fact, there are no official guidelines or emergency plans specifically designed for schools, although some international schools in Beijing have formulated their own.
Officially, only Beijing and Shaanxi province have announced their own emergency plans for heavily polluted days. Friday's high level of pollution prompted Beijing's municipal government to put its emergency plan, unveiled on Dec 14, into action for the first time.
"Warnings have been released to the public through channels such as micro blogs, television and radio, urging people to reduce the amount of time they spend out of doors and to increase their use of public transport. Schools are being advised to arrange fewer outdoor activities for the kids," said a post on the official micro blog of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.
It also emphasized that the government will "strengthen law enforcement and the frequency of inspections, ask the relevant plants to reduce emissions and arrange a 30 percent reduction in the use of official vehicles".
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