Pollution - How bad is it?

The pollution comes from the old coal fired power stations in UB. UB is in a valley and the cold air hangs in the valley during winter.

There are times in winter when planes have trouble landing because of poor visibility.
I never noticed any pollution in the buildings when I lived there. 

Any plans to combat the pollution would have to mean building new power stations which is cost prohibitive.
The power stations also burn low grade coal as the beeter grades are sold to China.

I never experienced any breahting or respitory problems, jut the usual colds and runny nose.

The worst of the pollution goes unnoticed by most. I'm talking about the uranium levels in the drinking water being 4 times over the safe level according to WHO standards. This stems from the recent excavation of uranium ore by money hungry companies that have been sold the rights to dig without proper safety measures in place.
Here's a link:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world … 548737.htm

Any recommendations on nice places/cities/towns to live in Mongolia which are not overly polluted?

As far as the bigger cities go, there's next to no air pollution in Darkhan, only a little in Erdenet, provided you don't live right next door to the strip mine.

I live in Darkhan and hate being able to smell and see when we're getting close to UB air.

For what it's worth, Uranium in drinking water in UB is not coming from mining.  Mongolia is trying to exploit it's uranium deposits, but is a few years away from the earliest Uranium processing plants in Mongolia. 
By far the most likely source for any Uranium in UB's water would be fly ash from the power plants.  Other contributing factors probably include use of inexpensive Chinese Phosphate fertilizers, and naturally occurring Uranium in the rocks the ground water moves through. 
Air pollution in UB is fairly bad in some parts of town, hardly noticeable in others.  I've never experienced stinging eyes, burning throat and coughing from the pollution.  Air quality indoors in stores, malls, restaurants, offices is not bad and is often filtered.  I notice the coal smoke smell and taste outdoors occasionally - especially near the ger districts.  In my experience, Beijing is FAR worse than UB for air quality.

I can't imagine a place with worse air.  It is unavoidable.  This city has a putrid stench all year round.  It is the worst smell.  The small stuff first.  With all the corruption and rich people getting richer, where most of the people live, there are no sealed roads.  Of cause if it is windy, all year round, the dust from these roads and of cause the countryside comes to the city, choking everyone.

It seems like all the cars here are on their last legs and pump out a putrid smoke.  Or there is bad fuel or oil or something that makes the car smoke so bad.  In big cities with 10 lane highways, you will not smell the same smell that you get from cars here. 

Then of cause the coal smoke.  It is so bad.  Really, this winter was the worst.  With all the money being pumped in to projects to improve the pollution, we all know it's going directly the the politicians winter holiday, ABSOLUTELY nothing happens.  And it gets worse every year.
Please tell me if I am wrong, of cause I don't understand.  In Beijing when there was the pollution crisis, I think it was nothing.
http://tsag-agaar.gov.mn/index.php?opti … 55&lang=mn

Check out this.  The middle of January this year, the highest reading for PM10 was 2766мкг/м3 28 times the standard.
Whatever.

http://www.news.mn/content/56064.shtml
This article said that the pollution would be reduced by 50% in 2012.  Actually, it was the worst.  The only area that doesnt see so much pollution seems to be Zaisan.  As usual, this country's development is measured by how well the rich people's area is being developed. 
The article also says that 1 out of 10 adults has respiratory problems and 1 out of 3 babies are born with some problem due to the smoke.

Personally, when I go outside anytime during the winter, it is a stuggle to breathe for the first minute.  After you choke through it, it becomes bareable, but bad.  I was just at home for 6 weeks.  I realised I didnt spit once there.  Here, literally every minute or 2, you have to spit out the mess of dust and smoke that builds up at the back of your mouth.  It's bad.

There are always plans and promises to fix this.  THere has been for decades.  My teacher said if there was no corruption here, the problem could have been fixed over 10 years ago.  But if the politicians used the money to fix the problem, they would have no money to steal from the people.  I didn't know what corruption meant before I lived here.  Now I know.
It is something that politicians do that directly kills the people they need to protect.
I'm sick of it and I can leave any time.  So lucky.

Wow harsh answer, but true.

Wow, that reply was harsh.

I will be in Mongolia late this year or early next and find this very concerning. 

Would it be possible to live elsewhere in Mongolia where the pollution was not bad and yet still carry on with business dealings in the main city?

Trying to figure a workaround to the pollution problem.

Actually, it was not harsh. 
What is harsh is the fact, according to a Mongolian news report, (which I think might be quick to talk down the problem) that in 2011, 1 in 3 babies were born with problems due to the pollution.  That is harsh.  It's criminal. 
Who will be held accountable? 
Well, the Mongolian people know, almost no one will. 
Nothing will improve.  People will get sick.
That's why we need to build a new capital.  With a plan from the start. 

This city is nothing but a city of sick people and death.  There, that was harsh.

RayT

Difficult to work in UB and live elsewhere. Winter time travel is difficult.

I was lucky when I worked there as I worked in South Gobi and only came to UB when heading out on break.

So, when air pollution is at its worst, is it bad indoors as well as outdoors?

Would you recommend bringing and wearing dust masks or goggles to protect your eyes? Do Mongolians do this ever, or tourists? There might be some days when I might not have a choice.

I am considering moving to UB for an ESL teaching position in January and very worried about breathing in toxic coal particulates in the air, and the short/long-term effects of this.

I read that surgical masks, that so many east asians wear, don't protect from small particulates that get through the fabric.

But if so many mongolians get respiratory problems, then yes, you can wear a good quality mask, even if people stare at you. It's your health.

And get one of them before going, cause less developed countries sometimes have lower quality products or won't have the item. In a hot country like Cambodia it's surprisingly difficult to find quality summer sportswear (cause locals sweat less than supercharged westerners). Cotton t-shirts are pointless at +35. I'll have to fly somewhere to get a Nike dri-fit or Adidas Climacool fabrics.

During winter, living in UB is really difficult. Particularly in mornings you can't breathe as usual as you breathe.

MrCAMEL wrote the truth. I fully agree with you.

This problem generally depends on two things - the coal smoke that is produced by the people who living in 'Ger' district and the location where the capital located.

The numbers of the people who living in UB is the biggest congestion. UB cannot carry more than 1m people, this city is designed to carry between 300-400'000 people. There are too many 'ger' disctricts in UB. In every election, the candidates and the political parties promise many beautiful things, but after elections they dont do anything, except feeding their political party and their people who working for them.

I think the government can deal with the pollution problem but I think they would not do that too. As long as Mongolian people are poor and uneducated, they would be happy because it is easy to make brain washing to the public for stealing it's money.

When I think about Mongolia, I always despair a lot.

A good thing that many projects are already in progress to redevelop the ger districts and to decentralize the city and create suburban regions to deal with the crowding.