The health effects are not as major as some may believe (when you are a short-term resident), but nevertheless it's not nice breathing in air that tastes pungently acrid.
And this is where the betrayal of the idea of politics as the highest calling and politicians as having a noble assignment is most pungently demonstrated.
They stayed and prospered and the result is a thriving and concentrated expat community with a yen for pungently flavored food incorporating plenty of chiles.
The familiar kitchen herb had been transformed into a viscous liquid the color and consistency of butternut squash soup; it smelled pungently sweet and slightly smoky.