I live in what should be a clean area, coastal Encinitas, CA. My worsening asthma has drastically altered my life. I have been told I now have the lungs of a 90-year-old smoker despite being in my late 50s. I do live near a busy road, and I keep air purifiers in each room and don’t dare go walking without a mask because of the dangers of diesel trucks and flying dust. I have to monitor the people I’m around and the places I go to avoid catching even a common cold, which can have dire consequences for me.
Clean air is so important not only to me, but to everyone. I can tell as soon as I begin my daily walk how clean the air is by how well I can breathe. Thanks to the many air quality websites, I know which days I simply cannot go walking outside. Such a sorry state of affairs — the days we have good air quality are cherished.
