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3M helping to clear the air in China
Minnesota-based 3M is no stranger to the summer Olympics. In 2000, when sprinter Michael Johnson raced to gold in the 400-meter race, his 24-karat shoes came courtesy of 3M's Scotchlite Reflective material. 3M is heading back to the Olympics this year. But the company isn't focusing on feet. It's focusing on lungs. "The thing that's most interesting for me is just the health effects and being able to contribute to cleaner air," says 3M's Dan Snustad. It's no secret air pollution in China is a big problem. In Beijing, concentrations of fine particles, which are harmful to the body, can be at least five times greater than in the Twin Cities. "The health effects are quite significant," says the University of Minnesota's Julian Marshall, who studies air pollution. Marshall says, by some estimates, air pollution in China leads to at least 1,000 premature deaths a day. "It sounds quite large and, yet, when you look at the health studies, it's also quite believable," Marshall says. "This is really how bad the pollution is there." It's why China is using 3M's Filtrete Commercial filters in the suites at Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. The stadium will host the track-and-field events at this year's Olympics, along with the opening and closing ceremonies. 3M says the filters will reduce dangerous fine particles by 60 to 80 percent for the thousands of fans sitting in the suites. "They probably won't notice it, other than we'll know and the Chinese government will know they're breathing higher quality, cleaner air," Snustad says. "And they're more comfortable in that environment." While 3M can't filter the air for fans and athletes sitting outside, the company is thrilled another one of its products made it back to the biggest stage in sports. China has spent years working to improve air quality in preparation for the Olympics. The country has suspended emissions from heavily polluting plants and says air quality is improving. There is also talk of using a process known as cloud-seeding to force rain in the days before the Olympics, which will help clear the air.
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