>>Well that is the impression but apparently there's still a high instance of asthma, dur to chemical pollutants crossing the Channel from France.
>>
>>There is a high incidence of asthma in Auckland, with clear oceans and nobody else for miles around. Apparently it is caused by pollen.
>
>No that's caused by orcs' breath eminating from the sewers! :-)
>
>Maybe that's a cause here too. A few months ago there was apparently a yellow cloud of pollen over parts of England (with reports of cars covered in it), due to the late spring (Global Warming buffs are always pointing out that the springs are getting earlier - go figure) and all the trees pollenating together. As I looked out to sea, one warm, calm, windless, high-preesure day, there was a definite band of yellow along the horizon. There used to be similar (on similar days) over towards a nearby coal-fired power station, which I interpreted as a pall of pollution, but now that has been replaced with a gas-fired one.
>
>Of course, it is theorised that the antiseptic, sterilised world that we're all encouraged to live in now leaves kids unchallenged by any harmful microbes and thus having never built up any immunities. I used to have my kids eat their meals off the kitchen floor a few times a week. :-)

When I was a kid, we always ate our meals off the floor. We used a table. ;)

My humble apologies. I just couldn't resist.