Just had to share my story as a reminder to why clean air is so important. I do not smoke and have few allergies—save for ragweed and goldenrod. I had asthma as a child, but outside of an episode of asthmatic bronchitis over 20 years ago, I have had no problems... until now.
I recently took a job standing on a street corner at the intersection of two major thoroughfares with a sandwich board sign advertising a local business. There, I encountered pollution from not only cars, but trucks, buses, and a host of other motorized vehicles. In the past few weeks, I have been in the hospital not once, but twice because of complications from bronchitis.
I can only deduce that the cause was from all the pollution I was breathing, since there are no other mitigating factors. I am recovering slowly; it's taken me awhile just to get to the point of being able to walk without getting winded. My concern is also for the children who are exposed to these pollutants on a daily basis.
