An electronic screen penetrates the smog in Shenyang, a city in northeastern China on Oct. 28. Current conditions are merely "unhealthy" at an Air Quality Index rating of 183, according to readings by the city's United States Consulate. The index allows for two further categories -- "very unhealthy" and "hazardous." However, in November 2011 American diplomats were forced to come up with the superlative, "crazy bad," after Beijing air pollution exceeded the 500-point AQI scale.