Consider the lyrics to a long-ago Frank Sinatra tune:
A foggy day in London town,
Had me low and had me down.
These days, it isn’t just the misty fog that has Londoners and visiting tourists feeling low. It’s the ever-increasing amounts of toxic gases emitted by the heavy vehicle traffic, factories and other oil-burning sources.

Recent news reports say the city’s mayor will be taking significant steps to reduce the choking pollution that causes more than discomfort. Many official vehicles, including buses and trucks, will go electric. Restrictions will be applied to home and factory heating systems that use petroleum products and coal. Medical studies reveal that heavy air pollution also is a source of lung diseases, and annually there are thousands of cases of deaths. The most vulnerable are children under the age of four and the elderly from age 60.

If visiting London is in your senior plans for this season, be sure to limit your exposure time in the local air. When you do go outside for any length of time on extremely smoggy days, wear a surgical face mask.