The Air in Cairo

[msraye]

Pollution in Cairo is worse than I have ever experienced. I have been to Mexico City and China and they are clean in comparison. I wish I had known this before my trip. Magellan's sells a mask with replaceable carbon filters. I have decided that this is now a necessary item to have on any trip. I returned on 2/25 and am still choking, hacking and blowing trying to get the junk out of my lungs. No, I do not have an infection--just foul air. This is just a warning. If you have had ANY respiratory problem you should take precautions.

[WeBeGone]

We saw many Asian visitors with masks. Yes the smog was bad but I didn't think it worse than LA. I was sorry that the haze clouded the views from the Citadel and the pyramids.

[cherylakers]

We returned on 2/9 and we all caught a respitory type of cold. After 3 weeks and a round of antibotics, I am still coughing up stuff. I think the air had something to do with it. I believe it is much worse than LA because I lived in LA a while back. I think it is also partly because it is such a dry air and the fact that 19 million people live in such a small space with very little rain to wash away the dirt.

 

Masks are also a great idea for the plane ride. Several of our people caught a virus on the plane and then spread it around.

[cruisemom42]

Also, there seemed to be more smokers in Cairo than I have experienced in some time. I'm not one to complain about second-hand smoke if experienced occasionally, but our group noted how everything -- even the outside air -- seems to smell like tobacco smoke. After leaving Cairo for the rest of our trip, we found the smell lingering in our clothes, etc.

 

For the record, the air is much cleaner once you get away from the immediate vicinity of Cairo.

[seafun]

I got home from 15 days in Egypt two weeks ago, and it's just in the last DAY that I've finally quit hacking my lungs out! Nyquil every night so I could sleep, congestion and wheezing, etc.

Several other people in our group were coming down with the same thing -- even one of the Egyptian guides! So I don't know if it was the pollution, some kind of bronchitis, or both.

But I'm SURE glad it's almost over! I've never had a respiratory problem like this ever before and it sure sapped my energy.

I don't know if a mask would help, but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt (although your pictures would look a little strange... :rolleyes:

Don't let it keep you from going to Egypt though -- it was SPECTACULAR!! :D

[smeyer418]

Part of the problem(maybe a big part) is that they allow old russian and check

cars that have absolutely no pollution controls. I think they finally outlawed cars from the 1950's and are up to outlawing the 60's cars. Its bad. Like Pittsburgh when the steel plants were in full...bloom in the the 1950's...

welcome to the wonderful world of successful third world countries.

[YoPhilly]

Luckily, I didn't have a bronchial infection, but I DID have a headache for the entire day and a half I was in the Cairo region. There was a constant haze, my sinuses were aching for fresh air. In fact, I stayed inside the boat for almost the entire Nile River lunch cruise - the air outside was just too foul.

[MVPinBoynton]

Has anyone ever used one of the "I Can Breath" masks from Magellan or anyone else? We will be in Cairo in September and if they really help would like to have one of these if the air is really bad when we are there.

[NAS-KARR]

Not only in Cairo, but has anyone ever used one of these Magellan masks on a 10 or 11 hour non-stop flt. ?