She is also glad her children's school takes pollution seriously, given stories parents hear of developmental and respiratory problems in young people.
At the Montessori Children's Academy in Shanghai, pupils are kept indoors when the AQI rises above 200. Classrooms now have air purifiers installed for extra safety.
Ken Holloway, who founded the Shanghai American Football League, said while the competition he created doesn't have an official policy on air pollution, he will need to consider something soon.
"The school my children attend monitors the AQI and their outdoor activities, like recess and sports, can be affected," he said. "I would expect non-school-affiliated programs like mine will need to put some policies in place to be consistent with the schools."
A spokesperson for Shanghai Tigers Australian Rules Football Club said matches are not cancelled due to pollution levels, saying the worst pollution is often in winter, when competition is on a break.
According to the report from the Ministry of Public Security, about 220,000 foreign workers were working on the Chinese mainland by the end of 2011, most of whom are working in foreign companies, joint ventures and schools.
Clubs and expat social organizations are common, with one of the key discussion points being how to cope with poor quality air.
Some expatriates get an allowance of between 2 and 15 percent of their total earnings when relocating to cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Health and air quality are two of the key reasons for the extra payments.
International human resource and recruitment companies recommend extra payments as "assumed" when calculating an expat in China's projected salary. But in reports by Mercer and Hays, the percentage of the allowance linked to air quality is not specified.
Various expat blogs warn newcomers to invest in facemasks when they have to ignore the warnings to head outside.
Apps for smartphones, such as FreshIdeas Studio's China Air Quality, compile air pollution readings from cities across China from official government readings and US consulate results, sending warning messages when the air becomes unsafe.
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