How to Live with Air Pollution

One of the subjects I write about on occasion here at the LA sinus surgery blog is air pollution, and how people with asthma and allergies contend with the rising clouds of particulates in various cities. It is a problem that’s moving in two directions – many American cities are gradually improving their quality, while a few outliers continue to worsen.

This recent piece in the New York Times offers a survey treatment of how families deal with air pollution around the world, including the occasionally desperate measures they must resort to to protect their children and loved ones. One passage struck me as especially poignant, about an artist who literally draws what she feels when breathing in China:

I have been the victim of allergic rhinitis since I moved from the suburbs to the city. When the smog appears, my nose feels very bad. I can’t even breathe. I also feel very depressed when the city is engulfed with smog.

Air pollution isn’t exclusive to the developing world. We have good and bad days here in Los Angeles (and a new problem is growing), and the residents of Houston experience a number of bad days throughout the year.

Treating rhinitis due to air pollution requires allergy testing and a careful plan to manage air quality and the body. If you’d like to learn more, call us today.