Class trip

Hi my twin boys (both cfers) are supposed to be going on a class trip to Howe Cavern in Upstate New York. The caves are about 100 feet underground. I called today inquiring about the air quality, mold etc... I was told that it is damp and humid but that the openings in the caves allows the natural air circulate through it. The guy on the phone wasn’t sure about the mold. Has anyone ever been there? I am not sure if I should send them. I don’t want them to miss out on something fun but on the other hand I don’t want to compromise their health. Any thoughts?
 

ymikhale

New member
HI, I always avoid this kind of stuff, even though my DD is disapointed, she eventually gets over it. There are plenty of other fun things to do and lung damage is permanent. that's my take on it, but there are others who probably see it differently.
 

Ratatosk

Administrator
Staff member
I don't have CF, but I've been to a couple different caves before DS wcf was born --- Colossal Cave in Arizona was a dry cave. I remember thinking how someone should really dust the place because it was dirty and for days afterwards my family and I were blowing dirt from our noses. Think my dad even got a sinus infection. Went to a cave in Colorado, just remember it being coldf, damp. Wind Cave National Park in SD, took a 2 hour spelunking tour -- ended up filthy, covered in dirt and mud. And my last tour -- Karchner Caverns in AZ was damp, cool and known to have bats leaving deep in the caves. I think I'd be cautious and would opt out IMO despite disappointment.
 

Gammaw

Super Moderator
We all constantly try to balance safety with fun - whether you have CF or not. Some things are just outside our risk tolerance - CF or not. It’s just that more things are risky for a CFer. Caves are one of them - clearly a greater risk for a CFer. Here’s some articles you might want to review to get you started, but frankly I would never let my CFer tour a cave - at least without a mask approved by my CF Center team. After all,weren’t you planning on going to the zoo that day? Or was it the museum? Or miniature golfing, or .....?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/572635/
https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/...le.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1140&context=ijs
http://www.initforbennett.com/2013/06/when-caves-and-cf-dont-mix.html?m=1
Blessings
 
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