I started packing today. It's rather overwhelming. And very, very dirty. Our house is located about two blocks from I-5, which seems to create a vaccuum of pollution inside these walls. Actually, Los Angeles is among the three cities in the U.S. with the worst levels of 'fine particle pollution'.. this is according to the EPA:
'Fine particle pollution is the nation’s deadliest air pollutant—and one of its most pervasive. Because of their small size, fine particles can bypass the body’s natural defenses, such as coughing and sneezing, and lodge deep within the lungs or even pass into the bloodstream, causing serious respiratory and cardiovascular problems, such as asthma attacks, heart attacks, and lung cancer. Fine particle pollution cuts short the lives of tens of thousands of Americans each year, according to EPA. They estimate that particle pollution shortens the lives of its victims by an average of 14 years.'
My friends keep asking me why we're leaving Los Angeles. In all honesty, I've thrived here and made a ton of art.. but this is what happened to Justin last year:
That's in the special quarantine room at L.A. County Hospital. Where they put people they think have TB. He spent a week there, in lockdown. They poked and prodded and took a piece of his lung.
He didn't have TB; rather, a sort of nebulous lung condition. He still has it. Though the docs can't be sure it's caused by the smog and dust, it sure isn't helping! And while I dust every single book on our shelves and cough through my dust mask, I'm getting excited for cleaner Puget Sound air. Trees that provide shade. The sound of waves lapping onto the shore. Seagulls, crows, and woodpeckers.
But I'm sure gonna miss my friends.
