What respiratory and other health challenges do you face, in the area where you live?

One thing I do to deal with the smoke and the arboreal allergens, is wear an air-filter mask (it has an exhalation valve) when I go outside.

Mold. Mold, and more mold. Pollen is just around the corner. .....

Smokers.

Pollution. I live in an area of dense population. I wish I didn’t have to, but all my family is here and I’d miss them.

I spend a lot of time in the woods to give my lungs a break. Fortunately, it’s just a 15-minute walk to the forest.

None.

None in the immediate area where I live but the traffic fumes are pretty bad in the city centre.

We live in a relatively clean, quiet neighborhood across the street from a wildlife management area.
I guess the major health concern here is death by snow shoveling, or elderly falling in the snow when getting the mail or newspaper and freezing to death, or car accidents when the roads turn to slip-and-slides.
Other than that this is a really nice region. It is beautiful in the fall.

When it’s cedar season here, the hill country looks like it’s on fire and the pollen is smoke. Really not exaggerating.

When the oaks put out pollen it causes a yellow dust to settle on everything, like a sprinkling of snow.

So if you’re even a little allergic to either, it’s impossible to avoid. The trees are trying to kill you. I think that’s our biggest respiratory challenge.

It’s crazy, but everyone just considers it part of the weather here.

None that I can think of. I’m sure we have pollution here, but I’ve never suffered any ill effects from it. At least, the symptoms aren’t noticeable yet—who knows what the long-term effects might be. I know some people who live in heavy traffic areas of the city and they have black dust on their window screens and window sills. There’s no way that’s not having some detrimental effect.

I’m not allergic to pollen, though, never have been.

They have what is know as a “burn season” here. Every year, all at the same time, the farmers burn their fields and pastures. Fires and smoke everywhere. I imagine it bothers some people but it doesn’t bother me.

It doesn’t matter where I live, as long as I live in a culture where fragrances are ubiquitous, it’s going to be a problem. And it’s even a bigger problem if I have to be in a crowd of people because folks just don’t know how to clean themselves without polluting themselves and their environment with some kind of fragrance.

For me the cost is different every time. Earlier this month I spent two weeks in bed because of my granddaughter’s shampoo and conditioner, on top of some particularly noxious medicated foot powder. During that time I landed in urgent care twice (lung problems) and found myself taking three different medications just to go to the doctor (because of course the doctors office is filled with fragrances also)!

Today was pretty good, but I haven’t had to spend weeks on end in an environment with somebody who spews fragrance all the time (my granddaughter left to live with her mother).

@Brian1946 I’ll trade you straight across, your allergy for mine.