Air Pollution

It is almost impossible to travel to any major city nowadays without running into air pollution.

This can be particularly troublesome when you are pregnant.  Your body produces more mucus when you are pregnant.  Also, mucus removal from your lungs and nasal passages is slower.  That means that you are more apt to have a stuffy nose or a sinus headache.  Also, irritants and germs that get into your lungs are removed more slowly.  It is a great set-up for pneumonia.

In most cities where there is a significant problem of air pollution, there is in place a system warning the population.  Newspapers, for instance, will publish where the worst areas are apt to be on a given day, or what times of day will be worse.

If you are staying in a hotel, it is quite likely that the concierge will be able to get this information.  In a private home, your host may already know what the patterns are or be able to pick up the information from a radio.

In any case, where pollution is a major problem, try to avoid it.  By planning your sightseeing around the worst times and areas, or by spending the worst pollution days on indoor activities, you can see and do a lot without running into difficulties.  As a last resort, wearing a scarf around your nose and mouth is often an acceptable alternative.