I submitted an application recently to a new building going up near Ground Zero. Which started me thinking about my asthma.

Every night on the news, there seems to be more and more coverage of first-responders of 9/11 with all these respiratory issues. Not all respiratory illnesses rear their ugly heads immediately. They can wreak havoc years after the fact. My dad has a friend who was a plumber for many years. After retirement, he was diagnosed with asbestos poisoning. It seems that all those years working with pipes in pre-war buildings, took their toll on him.

I know the city says the air quality is safe there now. But for someone like me, already struggling with asthma, it seems like a risky area to settle in. But, then again, I probably shouldn’t be living in New York City altogether.