Beijing's pollution could hinder athletes during the Olympics, but the long-term dangers to the population of the city are more serious, the head of the World Health Organisation in China says.
Hans Troedsson said there was no evidence that athletes would suffer long-term health damage because of the pollution, which has become an ongoing headache for the organisers of the Games.
China's worrying smog was in full evidence yesterday as the Olympic torch relay passed along the Great Wall of China, where the spectacular views were obscured by a thick haze.
But he said warnings of cancelling endurance events had distracted from the devastating health implications the city's poor air was having on Beijing residents.
''There is an air pollution problem in Beijing,'' Dr Troedsson said. He has been the WHO's representative in China for the past year.
''However, we are missing the point by having so much attention on the short-term exposure while the long-term exposure is really ignored that is where we have a problem,'' he said.
Dr Troedsson said exposure to Beijing's often turgid air over many years would result in increased chances of asthma, infections, heart disease and lung cancer.
The doctor was drawn into the row over air quality when the International Olympic Committee's medical commission chairman Arne Ljungqvist said Dr Troedsson had told him in a meeting he felt ''extreme dissatisfaction'' with the media for overstating the problem.
Dr Troedsson denied making the remarks ''I did not use those words'' but agreed that too much focus had shifted to worries about athletes.
''It is a very small risk for visitors from outside and even less so for athletes because they are in very good shape,'' he said.
But he conceded a combination of poor air quality, high heat and humidity it could compromise the athletes' performance.
Dr Troedsson also poured scorn on pollution assessment based on the haze that often cloaks the city and reduced visibility yesterday.
''When it has been quite low visibility we have to remember you cannot make an assessment on an occular basis.
'' Part of it can be water and moisture and so on.''
He said particulates, a key measure of air pollution, were invisible. AFP