China Environmental Law

It’s been very busy here today so I have not had time to prepare a thoughtful piece on China’s macro-environmental condition, but I can provide a few observations on the micro-environmental situation here at the CELB offices. 

The floor above us is being renovated. In addition to the jack-hammering, riveting, and explosions we’ve been treated to over the last week, today we were served up some hair-raising solvent fumes.  By mid afternoon I was hallucinating (note to clients: all substantive work was completed before VOC buzz kicked in).  An officemate went upstairs to inquire as to the nature of the solvent and was informed it was “Atomic Dust.” Oh . . . well . . . good, here I had thought it might be something harmful, heck I’d use Atomic Dust to clean the baby’s bottles. 

Our office Haz Mat team (i.e., CELB ayis), however, was not mollified.  The crack unit sprang into action with what I originally mistook for an afternoon snack, but turned out to be a remediation device.  Pineapple halves were placed in my office and throughout our space. Upon further inquiry I was informed that a pineapple will counteract the effects of the solvent although the exact mechanics of how this works remain unclear. Does the pineapple somehow attract the solvent molecules and then trap them like a carbon filter? I confess I was unaware it had such properties.  But then, I am somewhat thick with respect to the ways of the ayis; the last time they brought something into my office–what appeared to be a mummified, featherless chick–I assumed it was a talismanic charm to ward off evil spirits, but no, it was an afternoon snack for me.

In any event, the office now looks like we’re preparing for a luau, but I’ve got to admit that either the pineapple or opening the windows has dissipated the solvent smell. Unfortunately, the crash from the solvent high has given me a headache, and I’m afraid I’ll have to miss the Kalua pig.