What is the cause of persistent coughing and itchy throat?

Air pollution kills

Rizal PHL  |   June 27, 2013

My spouse is complaining of itchy throat and persistent coughing.  I said the cause could be the pollution from the tricycles and jeepneys passing by.  Air used to be clean at Morong where she currently works.  Morong  is populated by several thousand tricycles and maybe a good third of them are spewing pollutants.