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What is the Air Quality Index?

The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. EPA calculates the AQI for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particle pollution (also known as particulate matter), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. For each of these pollutants, EPA has established national air quality standards to protect public health.Ground-level ozone and airborne particles are the two pollutants that pose the greatest threat to human health in this country.

How Does the AQI Work?

Think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an AQI value of 50 represents good air quality with little potential to affect public health, while an AQI value over 300 represents hazardous air quality.
An AQI value of 100 generally corresponds to the national air quality standard for the pollutant, which is the level EPA has set to protect public health. AQI values below 100 are generally thought of as satisfactory. When AQI values are above 100, air quality is considered to be unhealthy-at first for certain sensitive groups of people, then for everyone as AQI values get higher.

Air Quality Index Levels of Health Concern	Numerical Value	Meaning
Good	0-50	Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
Moderate	51-100	Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	101-150	Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected.
Unhealthy	151-200	Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
Very Unhealthy	201-300	Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects.
Hazardous	>300	Health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.

We get our data from the Shanghai Environment Education Center, which updates it around 3pm each day.
Read more at the online Air Quality Index Brochure.

Date	PM10	SO2	NO2
2010-03-09	26	18	24
2010-03-08	53	25	27
2010-03-07	38	25	22
2010-03-06	22	16	23
2010-03-05	46	28	37
2010-03-04	36	19	33
2010-03-03	47	22	25
2010-03-02	52	25	25
2010-03-01	60	26	29
2010-02-26	52	22	32
2010-02-25	55	30	31
2010-02-24	38	17	21
2009-12-16	22	30	22
2009-12-15	20	21	22
2009-12-14	33	36	28

Living with Food Allergies in Shanghai

by Rachel Middagh
June 2009

Shanghai isn’t the easiest place to live for food-allergy sufferers. Certain allergens such as nuts are common, the language barrier makes determining ingredients difficult and the selection of allergen-free foods is slim.

But Pamela Pour says it can be done – with some extra work and planning. Pour has two children with serious food allergies. For her six-year-old son alone the list of forbidden foods includes peanuts, tree nuts, gluten, wheat, oats, yeast, eggs and sesame.

When the family moved to Shanghai a year and a half ago, Pour says she brought over as much allergen-free food as she could in their shipment. When those initial supplies started dwindling Pour turned, in part, to family to help keep her cupboards safely stocked. Once a month, she shops online and has everything sent to her sister back home who then ships it to Shanghai.

But she’s also found options for supplies and support locally. For one, the city’s international food stores are starting to carry allergen-free products. “I make a regular shopping trip through all the international stores,” Pour says. “Every store carries different stock so I visit each of them to pick up different foods.”

In addition to the increasing availability of allergen-free food products, parents also have
a support outlet in the Shanghai Food Allergies Support Group – a key forum for information sharing. “I found out from a group member there is gluten-free vanilla and yeast from Germany, both available here in Shanghai,” says Pour, who must do all the baking for her children.

The international group meets once a month and also goes on store tours together to search out new sources of allergen-free products.

And through their online forum (groups.yahoo.com/group/shanghai_food_allergies) parents trade allergy-safe recipes, doctor recommendations and even tips for low-risk holiday destinations (Disneyland in Tokyo has an allergy-safe restaurant).

Still, families with allergy-sufferers face some challenges unique to their Shanghai experience. For example, international grocery stores are making an effort to stock allergen-free foods, but they can’t always get specific brands customers request. And they may source products from a variety of countrieswhich means no matter how clearly that gluten-free Japanese baby cookie is labeled it won’t be coming home if you don’t read Japanese.

Also, while the frequency of food allergies in China is comparable to that of western countries, the level of awareness of them isn’t. So that means educating ayis, drivers – and even schools – is a big part of keeping allergic kids safe.

When it comes to ayis and drivers, Pour says basic and bold is best. “Don’t just say ‘my child will get very sick’,” she says. “Say that your child will stop breathing and die.” And follow it up with strict household rules about food handling, what snacks allergic children may be given and that all other foods are completely off limits.

Providing first aid training for ayis is another precaution. The Shanghai East International Medical Center in Pudong offers two first aid courses for ayis every month. The Community Center Shanghai, with locations both in Puxi and Pudong, also offers certified first aid courses for ayis and drivers. (Check with each organization for upcoming classes and course details.)

As for international schools, some are prepared to handle children with food allergies, some are not, and some won’t even accept children with serious food allergies.

Be Prepared

Pour says the best strategy is to come prepared. For her son, she packed a backpack with a detailed protocol and necessary medications that stays at his school in case of emergency. And she says she reviews the protocol and medications with her son’s teacher, teacher assistant and the school’s ayi twice a year and doesn’t assume anyone has first aid knowledge or training.

Allergies are a serious matter, but Pour says she doesn’t forget about fun. “I asked for a list of all the children’s birthdays in my son’s class. That way, I can prepare a safe treat for him that he can eat while the other kids have birthday cake.”

As many precautions as families take, they still have to be prepared to handle an emergency. And even that step takes some extra legwork in Shanghai.

“I think the best advice I can give parents is to make no assumptions about what kind of care is available at any given time,” Pour says. “But everything changes so quickly here, even at hospitals and clinics, so I arrange tours of my preferred healthcare providers once a year.”

Shanghai Food Allergies Support Group
For parents of kids with food allergies and intolerances. Contact Susan, scv@netnavigator.com

Shanghai Allergy-Safe Shopping List
compiled by Pamela Pour

City Shop

Enjoy Life Allergy Free Cookies
Enjoy Life Allergy Free Chocolate Baking Chips
Enjoy Life Allergy Free Breakfast Bars
Enjoy Life Allergy Free Granola
Enjoy Life Allergy Free Crispy Rice Snack Bars
Enviro Kidz Gluten Free Gorilla Munch Cereal
Enviro Kidz Gluten Free Koala Krisp Cereal
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread Mix
Earth’s Balance Vegan/Gluten Free/Milk Free Canola/Soy Spread
Nucoa Milk/Dairy Free Margarine Sticks (contains canola and soy)
Gut & Gerne Vanille Zucker (vanilla powder), gluten free
Gut & Gerne Plain Rice Cakes, gluten free
Dr. Oetker Vanillin Zucker (vanilla sugar), gluten free
Dr. Oetker Hefe (yeast), gluten free
Seeberger plain popping corn kernels
Seeberger plain raw sunflower seeds
Tinkyada Brand Brown Rice Pastas (various types), gluten free
Ludberg Farms Brown Rice Pastas (various types), gluten free
Ludberg Farms Brown Rice, gluten free
General Mills Chex Cereal, gluten free
Rice Dream Rice Milk, gluten and dairy free
Soy Dream Soy Milk, gluten and dairy free
Jones Breakfast Sausage (frozen), gluten free
Jones Ham Steaks (fresh lunch meat case), gluten free
Jones Bacon, gluten free
Rose Canadian Bacon, gluten free
Various Arrowhead Mills flours (soy flour, rice flour, pancake mixes, etc.)
Camp REAL Maple Syrup, gluten free, corn free

Carrefour
Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix
Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix (contains buttermilk)
Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Enviro Kidz Koala Krisp Cereal, gluten free
General Mills Chex Cereal, gluten free

Friendshop Store
Kewpie Brand baby/toddler snacks from Japan, allergy free line

Foods listed here address allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, gluten, wheat, oats, yeast, eggs and sesame.
Many of the products listed as gluten free are also milk free, egg free and nut free, such as Enviro Kidz and Arrowhead mills products.

Disclaimer: Shopping list information is not from a medical professional and is intended only as a helpful guide. Shanghai Family assumes no responsibility for the contents. Check all food labels carefully to make certain they meet the needs of you or your child.

Allergy Safety Protocol for School

> Provide as much detail as possible in the protocol, including all symptoms, how to administer medication, and where and to whom take the child in the event of exposure.
> Include housekeeping requests, too, especially if allergic children are so sensitive that skin contact can bring on a serious reaction. Wiping down tables, doorknobs, chairs and faucets – especially after meals – with a damp cloth and cleaner instead of just a dry rag is a good idea.
> Ask to establish a “no sharing food” rule among children in the class and inquire after hand-washing practices.