Bogota - 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?
Moderate-good, especially near the mountain forests (east side). The frequent rain also helps clear the air. - Aug 2023
The air pollution can get pretty bad in Bogotá but since COVID the air has been 70% better then it was before. We keep 3 air purifiers running in our apartment. - Feb 2021
Air is fresh. - Jul 2020
Air quality is good to moderate. Generally worse during business hours. You can follow pM 2.5 levels online. - Feb 2020
Air quality is moderate to bad. It rains a lot so that helps with the pollution but after a few days of no rain it is obvious. Traffic is heavy and the buses spew out clouds of noxious smoke. Many bikers wear masks, especially if commuting by bike. The air quality tends to contribute to the respiratory crud that won't go away. - Nov 2018
Bogotá is in a bit of bowl. The lower down in that bowl you are, the worst the air will be, but bad days are "yellow" or maybe "orange." There's a monitor near housing, where we're higher up, and it's generally "green." The embassy itself is lower. You'll often see bike commuters wearing masks. Coming from a post with really bad air, I have no complaints - Sep 2018
Moderate. It can be unpleasant walking down certain streets and breathing the exhaust from the buses, but, in many neighborhoods, it's totally fine. - Aug 2018
Air pollution is also high here due to the traffic, especially in the dry season. - May 2018
Moderate - Apr 2016
Moderate to unhealthy. It isn't China, but diesel fuel is prevalent with plenty of air pollution. Our curtains have turned a shade of greyish black. An in-home air filter helps. - Aug 2015
The air quality is very, very poor. - Aug 2014
Bogota air quality is moderate. The buses let off a lot of pollution but there tends to be decent wind bringing in fresh air. - Jun 2014
Although some people complain of pollution/allergy/asthma problems - we have found the air to be generally fresh and often rain-washed (see below). Our biggest issue has been the altitude, which can take a long time to adjust to --- and some people never do. It makes stairs harder to climb, impacts sleep, and in general makes you feel more tired. Another related issue is the noise. There is construction going on everywhere --- and they often work at night or early in the mornings. Dogs are allowed to bark at will, and car alarms go off 2-3 times/night. The result is a very noisy city --- so bad in some areas that people have used it as a justification to move their residences. - May 2013
Good. - Oct 2012
Moderate. There is definitely air pollution from vehicles. Our son has had some issues with asthma here because of it. - Jul 2012
Good. It rains a lot. There are pockets of smog, but nothing unbearable. - Apr 2012
Moderate. - Dec 2011
Unhealthy. Lots of black smoke spewing from buses. but even so, likely one of the better cities in Latin America in this regard - others are much worse. - Jul 2011
unhealthy - Nov 2010
Poor air quality and lot of pollution, but not as bad as some other places we have lived. - Sep 2010
Moderate. On feast days and Semana Santa, when people are off the roads, it is good. - Aug 2010
It's not great, especially if we haven't had rain for a while. The city is surrounded by hills, and stagnant air tends to get stuck above us. But it's not terrible. That said, we got a ton of head colds when we first got here, and I think that was due to the combination of the altitude (8600 feet) and the air quality. - Aug 2010
The air is much better than in most big cities. I normally have terrible allergies, but haven't suffered near as much from them since we've lived here. - Aug 2010
Unhealthy. - Jun 2010
