07Dec11 Afghans Burn Everything!

07Dec11 Afghans Burn EVERYTHING!

I arrived at Kabul International Airport the other night at 5:30 PM for the short ride to ISAF HQ (International Security Assistance Force Head Quarters).  It was already dark when I put on the armored vest for the short ride.  About the first thing one notices in Kabul is the air quality..  Years of war and poor infrastructure has left its mark.  Kabul is one of the largest cities in the world (~4 million) with no sewage system.  Combine that with desire to stay warm (Afghanis will burn anything for a BTU of heat) and you have some of the worst smog in the world.  There is lead (from unleaded gasoline) and all sort of pollutants in the air here but one that concerned the military the most was fecal matter (with no sewage system, Afghanis burn IT.)  The article below gives some idea of the problem. 

http://www.stripes.com/blogs/the-rumor-doctor/the-rumor-doctor-1.104348/can-you-inhale-a-lump-of-feces-from-breathing-the-air-at-kandahar-air-field-1.131230

So while the rumor is somewhat dispelled, there's probably some truth there.  Also the article referenced below is from 2009 but little has changed since. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/15/kabul-one-of-worlds-worst_n_187192.html

Welcome to Afghanistan...

R/Chris