Port Au Prince - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
Terrible. If you have asthma or sensitive eyes beware. I don't work out outside because it bothers me and I bought an air filter for the bedroom. People burn trash, feces, plastics, rubber etc routinely and very close to the housing compounds. - Aug 2019
I never heard of anyone having a problem with air quality here. - Jun 2019
Bad. Port-au-Prince is dusty, trash fires are frequent, car exhaust is heavy in the air. - Aug 2018
Moderate. There is a lot of dust and burning trash, but it doesn't seem to have much of an impact on health. - Apr 2017
Trash, tires and trees are burned frequently. Deforestation has lead to a high level of dust. - Dec 2016
Very poor. It's dusty and dirty outside at all times. If you have asthma or respiratory issues, this is probably not the place for you. I really don't understand why anyone with impairments or chronic illnesses would bid on Haiti in the first place. It remains the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere so you can't get treated for anything in country. - Sep 2014
Dusty. Recent visitors told me "it looks like it hasn't rained for a long time" and I told them it rained the day before. But not smoggy or polluted, just dust. However, we all get sick often, with the "Haitian sensation" and some of us are convinced it is not the food or water, but something in the air. Who knows... could be true, or maybe we are just looking for excuses for getting sick all the time. It is always hot! November through March are cooler months thn the rest of the year, but even then at least 80 degrees and sunny during the day. - Sep 2013
Poor, very poor. Bring HIGH quality/professional air purifiers if you have any sort of allergy or asthma at all. (I recommend the Oreck brand.) Someone is always burning something. Burning trash: there are always trash fires, the worst is when it's right next door and your house fills with smoke. (Think: plastic and Styrofoam, as well as paper and garden material.) Burning tires: the go-to choice when Haitians are rioting. Dust: not only from the unpaved roads (extensive), but from the rubble. There is concrete dust everywhere that just doesn't settle. Charcoal: smoke when Haitians make charcoal, smoke when they cook with it. - Sep 2011
The air quality in most of Port-au-Prince is unhealthy. There is a tremendous amount of dust in the air. That, coupled with the almost-constant smoke of burning trash, makes breathing in Port-au-Prince a very unpleasant experience. - Jan 2011
