China and IOC may be lying about pollution in Beijing

Official attempts to cover-up the extent of pollution in Beijing are utterly foolish and may soon backfire.

As observed this morning by Beijing-based journalist James Fallows, on August 8th Beijing languished under a thick cloud of smog. But Olympic officials and the Chinese government today claim this smog is simply "mist." CNN (television) took its own readings of the pollution, and reports "particulate matter levels" over the past 48 hours ranging from "207 mcg" to "378 mcg." (A "safe" level is considered to be under 50 mcg).

The world can forgive China (and the IOC) for holding games in a polluted environment, but not for telling lies that put athletes' lives at risk.