Is Anyone From a NonGulf State Getting Summer Time Colds?

I am currently sick, respiratory illness.

Six of my coworkers have similar illnesses, so much to the point we are all commenting on it.

I rarely get a summer cold. Mine come on in winter.

Although asthmatic, I have not used my inhaler for the last couple years. I have had to use it daily with this illness.


Several of my friends in other parts of the state are currently sick, with respiratory illnesses.

I live in Kentucky.

Could this be related to the oil spill/chemicals/dispersants? This soon? Could this be a possibility?

Thank you for reading, invite to share your general location and illness, especially if odd for you (time of year).

reply to post by hotbakedtater


Well, I am in Tallahassee, and everyone I know has a little bit of a cold. Sore throats, dry mouths, running noses, sneezing, etc.

I am wondering myself if it is related to the oil fumes. I am a lot closer than you are!

LOL... Yes, my whole family had a cold, wife has bronchitis and is currently on antibiotics. A good chunk of the people at work are sick as well. But of course, I live near you so I don't think I am telling you anything here you don't know.

Wow... worse than I thought. My boss sent out an email, appears he was hospitalized due to the cold he picked up in NC last week.

[edit on 27-6-2010 by infolurker]

I live in Tennessee. My mother and sister got sick not too long ago actually. Many people do get sick when the temperatures change. Then you have people with allergies that will be aggravated in summer. Common cold spreads like wildfire too. I haven't gotten sick at all so, I don't know. I really doubt it's the oil.

I don't get sick thankfully.

I think I'm just constantly sick and I don't know what normal is though! lol

I'm in Montana and the past 5 nights I've woke up with trouble breathing. It goes away after about an hour. I've never had respiratory problems in my life. It could be my allergies coming back cause i used to have bad allergies to dander, and pollen but never breathing issues. The past three years have also been allergy-less.

I feel GREAT! and smoke 1/2 pack cigarettes daily in fact i need to smoke one NOW.....nothing better versus a cig and a hot mug of dark tea!


I believe this is psychosomatic or imaginary ailments

I live in New England though perhaps the jetstream is dragging up oil smoke into Kentucky and/or lining clouds when it rains evaporates and you could be hypersensitive towards petrol????

Srsly? Ya'll trippin...And I thought I was a hypochondriac. I live IN Louisiana and nobody around here is sick.

I am just trying to gather opinions and information on whether this is normal or oil spill related. All replies are welcome and appreciated.

I have a lowered immune system and get sick easily. I usually do very well in the summer and I am fine now. I live further north in Indiana. My daughter and family live in Kentucky and they are sick with respiratory problems. Wonder what is going on?

I'm in D/FW area, and have been having slight headaches and dizziness, which is uncommon for me. I've not seen other people report unusual sickness, so think I'm just going through some sort of spell. I've got family in Louisiana and would think they'd let me know if something was in the air making them sick. Nothing so far.

Mega bad flu or something. Past week, started with bad bathroom runs, fever..then migrated to my throat and lungs. Feel like crap.

But in Canada.

I don't think an oil spill will spread a cold.

Probably just a bug.

reply to post by bad man incorporated


My mother in Louisiana was throwing up about 4 days ago. I have had a "summer cold" with 3 days of fever to 102 and 2 weeks of bronchitis for the last 3 weeks. I live in Illinois. Yes, I thought it might be related to the oil spill, as silly as that sounds. But if I have it in Illinois then it is affecting the entire U.S. probably.

The medical community has said this is the worse allergies season on record. I've had similar symptoms on and off since February- its all because of the pollen in the air. I've never been bothered by it before but like i said this is the worse allergies season yet.

Hey, I've had like an upper respiratory cold for the last 2 weeks or so. My mother who lives 20 minutes from me is also having the same thing. I don't usually get summer colds or winter colds for that matter. I live in Statesboro Ga and my mother lives in Claxton. Something else I've noticed over the last two weeks, whenever it rains there's a heavy chemical smell before, during and after the rain for quiet a few hours. The smell reminds me exactly of an incident that happened when I was a teenager in highschool. The small town I lived in was near Valdosta GA. The local feed/seed store burned down and there was a lot of fertilizer and other chemicals that farmers use that burned up. It is a rather odd chemical type smell, hard to describe. But this odor I smell when it rains has only started in the last few weeks. I've not noticed any effect on trees or gardens like some threads have indicated, but I'm keeping my eyes open. I'll let ya know how things get down here.

I am in New Orleans and I am sick now. Sore throat and the works. But then again I have an illness and on medicine that makes my immune system lower than normal. But I have not been sick in at least 4 months. So it has hit me pretty fast....

Yeah.....

I've been reading accounts where some people were claiming ailments from the oil spill, saying they were suffering from "flu-like" symptoms. Well DUH! Maybe you actually DO HAVE an influenza virus...... Now wouldn't that be just ducky to throw the swine flu in with everything else going on?

Seriously, I really do hope people will keep their head screwed on tight during this event.

If I were to guess it being something out of the norm, I would think being in Kentucky might have more to do with the bad floods Tenn. had from all that stagnant water etc., before I would think the air from the Gulf, but then that's just my humble guess.

Northeast Alabama here, Nasal infection coupled with ear infection. First ear infection I have ever had.

I live in SC. We usually get weather systems from the gulf. *oh joy*
I haven't gotten sick, but the air just smells 'funny' --like a chemical smell. Every time I go outside, I get this instant post-nasal drip sensation, and the smell is just... foreign, hard to really describe.

Also, this is just odd-- TV local news usually show the gulf on the satellite picture during the weather report. Today I just happened to notice that the satellite image was zoomed in so that the gulf wasn't shown. When they did zoom out, the weather man stood right in front of the gulf, which he never does, because he invariably points to weather systems that come from there! (And he was talking about the storms coming towards to gulf... and standing in the way... duh!)

I guess they don't want everybody to see the oil slick on the satellite image. They just don't know you folks at ATS have kept me smarter than the average bear!