Santiago, Chile air pollution - is it as bad as the statistics suggest? (life, places)

[califantastic]

Santiago, Chile air pollution - is it as bad as the statistics suggest?

I have read in many different places that Santiago, Chile has some of the worst air pollution in the world. From what I understand it is surrounded on all sides by very large mountains which trap all of the air pollution. Since the air pollution has no way out, it just sits there and accumulates over time.

Is the air pollution in Santiago really as bad as the articles say?

Do people that live in Santiago short term or long term have health problems related to the air pollution?

Or does the information that is out there make the air pollution seem worse than it really is?

Thank you for any advice you can provide.

[Mr.Falcon]

It gets more serious in dry seasons. Last year they had to reduce the traffic, forbid fireplaces using, etc
In rainy seasons it gets better.

[MrPilot]

Originally Posted by califantastic

S
I have read in many different places that Santiago, Chile has some of the worst air pollution in the world. From what I understand it is surrounded on all sides by very large mountains which trap all of the air pollution. Since the air pollution has no way out,

Santiago de Chile is the 424:th most polluted city, so certainly not among the worst. Actually, the air HAS a way out... UP, however anabatic (mountanious) airflow messes up the adiabatic laps rate of the air temperature (winter time) causing inversions that leads to air stagnation, similar to an air balloon with too cold air, it won't climb free of the mountains. Sorry, meteorology is a major thing in my line of work.

Anyway the pollution wasn't too bad, it peaked just a few times during my in total 6 years stay in Santiago.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._concentration

[Tall Traveler]

I don't think it's as bad as advertised but you can see the pollution as you look to the mountains. The average lifespan in Chile is the longest in South America and about the same as the USA so I see no evidence lifespan is affected and keep in mind Santiago has a significant portion of the Chilean population. I loved Santiago but my wife has asthma and is highly affected by the air quality in many places and was noticeably affected in Santiago...it had o noticeable affect on me and I love the climate there.

[recycled]

It's kind of ironic that some upper class neighborhoods and districts in Santiago are on the east side near the base of the Andes foothills, which is often where some of the worst smog accumulation occurs due to prevailing wind currents (from the west). Lo Barnechea, La Dehesa, Las Condes, La Reina all have worse smog than the middle and lower middle income areas on the western side of the Metropolitan Region (Pudahuel and Maipú for example).

If you go just 40 or so kilometers west of the city to Curacaví or Melepilla / Pomaire the skies are typically clear and blue with almost no air pollution.

[intelfan11315]

I didn't really notice it but also didn't spend much time at all there.

[AntonioR]

The good thing about having money is that central air conditioning and air purification systems are affordable.

[Kikeplanas]

I am originally from Santiago, lived there for 35 years. I currently live in Berlin. I can say that the air pollution is only bad during some days during winter. During Autumn, Spring and Summer, I would say that cities like London, Paris and Berlin are way worse that Santiago in terms of air pollution

[Warszawa]

I spent a day in Santiago and it really wasn't bad in the Center, could barely notice it. You mostly notice it when driving in from the south, the southern part of the city seems very dusty

[yana2017]

It's pretty bad in the fall, winter and spring months, with winter being the worst. It just doesn't affect most people in a way that they would notice it immediately, just like smokers may or may not notice the effects of smoking. Maybe the prolonged bronchitis and itchy throat is due to air pollution rather than just a cold virus? Perhaps the unexplained mild headaches appear during smoggier days? How many people would actually link these two? And living longer does not necessarily mean living symptom-free.

It is also pretty bad for sensitive people and small children, whose lungs are still developing.

Personally, I'm pretty sensitive (without any history of asthma) and feel the phlegm build up in my throat immediately. I may start to cough if I spend too much time outside walking or running (I've given up on outdoor sports here).. My eyes itch on the very worst days (Chilean pre-emergency scale. The U.S. scale is much stricter so Santiago has moderate to very high pollution nearly every day unless it rains)