I forgot to add that the incidence of severe asthma among children is very, very high in this region of the country. Why? A large portion of these kids’ older relatives are addicted to tobacco in all its forms and refuse to quit. Due to weather and culture, people smoke inside their homes and vehicles. Due to local custom and law, smoking is allowed inside truck stops, restaurants and some workplaces.
It is not uncommon to see a large face-shaped inhaler out in the open in a home where kids live. I myself travel to “flyover country” with a countertop air-cleaning machine to plug in and put a towel under the door as soon as I arrive at certain relatives’ homes so I can successfully stay in their guest room. I’ve gotten nauseated from breathing heavy cig smoke just from having to wait in line to pay for my gas inside truck stops (if the pump wasn’t taking CC’s). I’ve also had to leave laundries and wait outside or in my car in 95-degree humidity while my clothes were washing/drying due to (legal) smoking in there.
All in all, Ferguson kids (a good example and representative of their region) likely have a very different life that your kids here in Cali do, through no fault of their own.
