Pollution-Busting Tower Falls Short of Promise

Well, so much for the supposed "smog free tower."

Though it was billed as a way to effectively filter pollutants from Beijing's air, Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde's high-profile invention was recently downgraded by the China Forum of Environmental Journalists (CFEJ) from a Smog Free Tower to a mere "Smog Alert Tower."

The inventor's Studio Roosegaarde released a statement that put a more positive spin on the news, saying it effectively made the air 55 percent cleaner in the vicinity of the purported smog-busting tower.

But our own tests showed quite a different result: almost no change in air quality at all.

Frankly, we are on the fence about Roosegaarde's "art" – on the one hand, as an actual solution to Beijing's air pollution problem, it's pure snake oil. But as to its secondary effect – raising awareness, we'd have to say: Mission Accomplished.

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