Santo Domingo - 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 - Sep 2023
Medium. - Oct 2021
Air quality got a lot better when traffic decreased during COVID. Generally, traffic generates a lot of pollution, but I would say air quality is moderate. - Jan 2021
Air is good to moderate. - Jul 2019
Not terrible. Some smog in Santo Domingo because of the amount of vehicles, but less so on the weekends; everywhere else in the country is fine. - Jan 2019
Some smog in Santo Domingo because of the traffic congestion, but less so on the weekends; everywhere else in the country is fine. - Nov 2016
moderate - nothing like China or India - Apr 2016
Worse than you might think, lots of exhaust from vehicles and I don't think they have any sort of standards. When you clean your floors and see lots of black dust, you'll know the pollution seeps into your house/apartment as well. - Jan 2016
Stinky, smog but not too heavy. People with allergies feel it worse than others. - Jan 2016
Smog, smoke...not horrible but not the best. - Aug 2015
Not great. Lots of respiratory issues, smog, trash burning. - Aug 2015
Moderate as the Caribbean breeze keeps the pollution moving out of the city. - Aug 2014
There is some pollution in Santo Domingo, but it's not extreme. People with asthma and other respiratory issues are cleared to come here. - Jul 2013
Moderate to unhealthy in Santo Domingo. Good in the mountains. - Apr 2013
Bad and very unhealthy. There are no regulations on car exhaust, so you're breathing black smoke fumes anytime you're in the city. - Apr 2013
Moderate, but ocean breezes keep it pretty clear. - Jan 2013
Good, by developing world standards. It helps that we're close to the sea. You can see the stars most nights. - Jun 2012
Pretty good. The DR isn't very industrialized. - Jun 2012
The pollution in Santo Domingo is unhealthy. My wife and son suffer from allergies and are miserable 8-10 months of the year, and I am a former smoker who feels like he smoked a pack of cigarettes every time I'm outside for more than 30 minutes. Outside of the city, the air quality is fine, as tradewinds blow almost year-round. Luckily an escape from the pollution of the city is only a 30-minute drive east of the city in Guyacanes, the closest nice beach. - Mar 2012
Moderate to good. - Feb 2012
bad, your allergies will go crazy, expect lots of respiratory problems, and people smoke heavily and with no regard, so expect also lot of second hand smoking everywhere. - Feb 2012
Moderate to unhealthy - Oct 2011
Air quality in the city is not great. The breeze helps but Santo Domingo is very polluted. They often burn garbage and the thought of cars having any sort of emissions regulations is a joke. - Jun 2011
Air quality is unhealthy in Santo Domingo but I usually don't notice it until in afternoon rush hour traffic while getting nauseous in the car due to the strong fumes - May 2011
poor, pollution is horrible here, especially the exhaust from the cars.noise pollution is also bad as dominicans feel the need to beep constantly. - Nov 2010
In Santo Domingo, air quality depends on how much traffic is around you…which most of the time is a lot. Water pollution is a completely different topic. Since Santo Domingo does not have a sewage treatment plant, waste flows directly into the ocean. Due to that, it is not safe to drink tap water (anywhere in the country), nor swim close to the city. - Aug 2010
Unhealthy. Make sure you drive around using the recycled air in your vehicle, because there is black exhaust spewing out of all the cars around you as you drive. - Jun 2010
