Guatemala City - 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?
The air quality is good. When the volcano erupts you have to be careful when outside. - Mar 2023
Overall it's very good. In traffic you will suck tailpipe. There are about 4 weeks when farmers burn cornfields, and then the air is bad. If a volcano erupts you might have to shut all your windows and stay inside for a few days. Allergies are wild! People who have never had them will get odd flare-ups. One of my dog gets allergies for a few months out of the year! I have no problems, luckily. - Oct 2022
Seems decent to me. - Oct 2022
Air quality is good. The only time the air quality here has changed from good to moderate or even bad some days is when the active volcanos are actively throwing lava which creates the ash. Although the closest volcano is a 40 minute drive out of the city the ash will travel and have an imprint in the city. This doesn't happen often this might be worse in Antigua where you will find many more expats because it is in close proximity to that town. - Jul 2021
There is city pollution, particularly construction dust, but it's not terrible. I have a daughter with asthma, and she did well here. Being out in Cayala helps, as there is a lot more green space out here. - Jan 2020
Air quality is poor (although certainly not as disastrously poor as many other places around the world). In the dry season, the air is filled with dust; in the rainy season, there's lots of mold and mildew. Pick your poison. Bad, chest-rattling, viral coughs are par for the course. - Mar 2019
Guatemala doesn't have great air quality. Within the capital high traffic streets having poorer quality of air, but it's better in other parts. Since there are no car emissions testing or car age limits, so old US school buses have a long afterlife down here and really put out some exhaust. But the climate is good, so there is no Hepa filtered, recirculated air conditioning, and windows are generally left open. That said, the capital city is surrounded by of volcanoes / mountains that may trap city smog. - Feb 2019
Moderate to unhealthy in the city. There are no enforced emissions standards; many vehicles lack catalytic converters, and traffic can be terrible during the week. During February-April the weather gets warmer and hazy and air quality declines, but the rainy season that follows, generally leads to better conditions, at least on weekends and outside of rush hour. - Jun 2015
Pretty good, most of the time. It can get a little hazy during the holidays when there are nightly fireworks or when one of the nearby volcanoes erupt. Traffic is really bad enough to cause a lot of pollution. Allergy-sufferers may have problems as this is the "land of eternal springtime" and with that comes environmental allergies. - Apr 2014
In the capital's streets, air quality is terribly unhealthy because of the fumes released by old, poorly-maintained cars and rickety buses, made worse by the fact that gas and diesel that are sold in Guatemala contain toxic additives long prohibited elsewhere. - Jan 2014
The air quality in the city isn't so good, but once you get out of the capital, there is a lot of fresh air. - Nov 2011
Seems pretty good, though exhaust fumes are pretty nasty when you get behind a bus. We always drive with the windows rolled up and the AC on recirculating air so we're not breathing those fumes. - May 2010
