Melbourne, Australia chokes on big smoke

[lebkuchen]

Just about everyone has a sore throat from all this smoke, so I'm told.

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2006/12/20/smog_wideweb__470x323,0.jpg

Thick bushfire smoke cloaking Melbourne has led the city to record its poorest air quality since records began.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/city-chokes-on-big-smoke/2006/12/20/1166290587199.html

[canetoad]

1. Embedded reporter in Melb. checking in

With a couple of days exception, most of Melbourne has had these conditions for close on two weeks, yet I have heard no one complain of a sore throat. I think most of us are hoping the poor bastards facing fire fronts can save themselves/houses rather than minor inconveniences.

[lebkuchen]

2. When Pinatubo erupted

in the Philippines, the Philippinos wore masks to filter out the fine ash particles, following doctors' advice. Although Philippinos living near the base of the volcano were suffering much more than ash "fallout," with hot pyroclastic flows entering their houses, the fact remained that the ash in the air was still not healthy to breathe into the body.

Somebody is always going to have it worse than somebody else. When the air quality in a city is worse than recorded history, it might be wise to take precautionary measures, as suggested in the article.

While living in LA, I had a sore throat from the city smog every day. By 4:00 p.m. it was impossible to breathe deeply. The smoke from the brush fires has got to be taking a toll on one's health, especially the elderly folks'.