Thin air, intense sun, and well water that deserves a test.
Much of New Mexico lives a mile or more above sea level, so the air is thinner and the sun stronger. Valley fever spores live in its soil, radon is high in the north-central counties, and private wells can carry naturally occurring arsenic and uranium.
Albuquerque sits around 5,000 feet and Santa Fe around 7,000, with mountain towns higher still. Thinner air means less oxygen per breath. Newcomers and visitors may feel headaches, poor sleep and shortness of breath at first, and sleeping above about 8,000 feet brings a real risk of altitude sickness.
UV intensity rises about 6 percent for every kilometer of elevation, and New Mexico combines high ground, a southern latitude and clear skies. Snow on the mountains reflects even more. That adds up to more sunburn, skin aging and skin cancer risk than at sea level.
Valley fever is a lung infection from breathing spores of a fungus that lives in soil in parts of the southwestern US. Digging, construction and dust storms stir the spores into the air. Many infections are mild, but some cause weeks of cough, fever and fatigue.
New Mexico's environment department notes that arsenic occurs naturally in the state's groundwater and that uranium is found in some areas. Uranium can affect the kidneys over time, and nitrate can come from fertilizer and septic systems. The state does not regulate private wells, so testing is up to you.
Radon is an invisible, odorless radioactive gas that seeps from soil into homes and is the leading cause of lung cancer in people who don't smoke. EPA's map puts a block of north-central New Mexico counties, including Santa Fe and Los Alamos, in Zone 1, its highest-risk category, and the rest of the state in Zone 2.
Go down to lower elevation and get care for altitude symptoms that worsen with rest, confusion, or breathlessness at rest. See a doctor for a cough or fever lasting more than a week or two after dust exposure, and mention valley fever. Have any new or changing mole checked.