Overall Health of People Who Live In ABQ - Cancer, Allergies, Asthma

[macsret]

Originally Posted by nonexpat

I have never had asthma and got it after I moved here in the fall. It's fine now, and it wasn't very severe. That being said, my son who has always had asthma isn't having problems. Furthermore, the air quality is much, much better here than Dallas. We were constantly having level orange days during the summer there.

How about the altitude there in ABQ, has that affected your or your son's asthma? I have asthma, considered to be very bad, but my biggest consideration is the altitude and then the pollen.

[Zoidberg]

Altitude doesn't seem like it figures much into asthma problems, at least when you're only one mile up; you're either miserable with it or it's not a problem.

Asthma kinda lives in two categories- wet and dry. Wet (molds, etc.) asthma sufferers will find this place a panacea. Dry asthma sufferers (grass & tree pollen) may find relief here or not.

There's still 83% of the oxygen here that you'd find at sea level, and I guarantee anyone suffering from an asthma attack doesn't feel like they're just a little shy of the oxygen they need.

[Rowly104]

Hi, I never had allergies in my life until after I'd lived in NM for 3 years. I've heard many people report the same thing -- that no matter what precautions you take, you will develop dust and pollen allergies here. A lot of people come here with respiratory conditions after doctors tell them a dry climate will help, but New Mexico has such a strange ecosystem that they usually regret the move. The plants that have adapted to the climate here make crazy pollens and the winds of the high desert force them right down into your lungs along with lots of dust. You can contact the local organization, Asthma Allies and get the statistics for asthma, but it's a big problem here. My sister's mother-in-law had to move from here to Arizona to keep her asthma in check.

And as for cancer, even though the gov't reports cancer death rates as falling in NM and a tiny bit below the national average, that does not really indicate how many people are getting cancer to begin with. Nor does it factor in the huge number of uninsured people in our state. Their cancers, if ever diagnosed, generally do not get calculated in to such statistics. Another thing that skews the statistics is that a lot of people who are born and raised here move to other states in their 20's and 30's for jobs, so that by the time cancer conditions manifest, they are residents in other states. The fact is, besides the sun causing skin cancer, NM has certain environmental situations that do increase cancer incidence and risk here. Our water has a higher arsenic content than other states', and we still have measurable health consequences from the nuclear testing done in here the '30's and '40's. Our groundwater also takes all the pollution from Sandia Nat'l Labs, our Intel plant, and Los Alamos National Labs, not to mention significant amounts of pesticides that leech into the shallow water table. Unlike the systems in some other, richer states, our municipal water filtration systems do not clean out pharmaceuticals and many pesticidal compounds from the water supply. As a consequence, in addition to skin cancer, there is a higher rate of thyroid cancer and other endocrine cancers here. Childhood cancers rates here are also higher than average, including infant neuroblastoma and leukemia. When fracking gets here, that will add a whole other dimension of toxicity to our environment.

Like many poorer states in the union, NM is always having to choose between getting a few desperately needed dollars and keeping its natural environment clean and safe. Kind of understandably, the choice made is always for the dollars. I agree that diet and exercise can help, but what you were asking is about general environmental cleanliness, and New Mexico does not rate exceptionally well in that regard. Maybe Oregon is more like what you're looking for, although run-off from paper plants and other lumber industry operations are a problem there, too. There's at least a certain governmental commitment to clean environmental policies there that we just can't seem to pull off here.

[macsret]

Originally Posted by Zoidberg

Altitude doesn't seem like it figures much into asthma problems, at least when you're only one mile up; you're either miserable with it or it's not a problem.

Asthma kinda lives in two categories- wet and dry. Wet (molds, etc.) asthma sufferers will find this place a panacea. Dry asthma sufferers (grass & tree pollen) may find relief here or not.

There's still 83% of the oxygen here that you'd find at sea level, and I guarantee anyone suffering from an asthma attack doesn't feel like they're just a little shy of the oxygen they need.

Thank you Zoidberg, from my research on the Net, which shows doctors on both sides of the issue, some feel that altitude can affect asthma and especially if that person has hypoxemia.

What I do know is that as a child I lived in Denver and my dad, USAF at the time, was transferred based on my acute asthma being affected by the altitude. Now, I understand that was years ago and they, doctors, now understand asthma much better than way...way back then.

You are right on about the wet vs. dry. I have now lived in the Philippines for 24 years, it is hot and humid here and that does affect my asthma but it is for the most part controlled with inhaled corticosteroids, which do appear to reduce hypoxemic problems, and other medications coupled with a nebulizer. I'm hoping that ABQ being dry will be my panacea for asthma, but understand the pollen may exacerbate it. The bottom line will be if I can control it or not.

If you or anyone finds out more about this subject please let me know. Either way I am leaning toward trying ABQ out and see as from everything financial, size, social outlets fits my needs perfectly. Now, the kids and wife are not as excited as I am. Wish I could visit there before we move rather thank waiting.