While the Southland’s air quality still is unhealthful many days of the year, smog levels here have dropped dramatically in the last quarter century and continue to improve each year.
"We are on track to meet all current federal air quality standards by 2010," said Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
"The American Lung Association’s ‘State of the Air 2000 Report’ and its ‘F’ grade for the Los Angeles area doesn’t do justice to the tremendous ongoing effort by businesses, local governments and individuals to reduce all sources of air pollution.
"As a result of those efforts—and AQMD’s regulations—the air is cleaner now than it has been since before World War II.
"During the late 1970s, Southland residents each year endured up to 121 Stage 1 Episodes, when air quality was so unhealthful that everyone was cautioned not to exercise heavily outdoors.
"We have not had a Stage 1 Episode since 1998," Wallerstein said. "The number of days per year when air quality exceeds the federal ozone standard has dropped from 208 in 1977 to 36 last year. This is proof that our aggressive efforts to reduce emissions have paid off with improved air quality." (See following graph and separate table of historic ozone air quality trends.)
Smog Season Starts May 1
Smog season officially starts tomorrow and runs through Oct. 31. With rising temperatures, stronger sunlight and more frequent stagnant weather conditions, ozone concentrations will begin to reach unhealthful concentrations on some days.
Weather conditions play a major influence in smog formation and this year they may benefit air quality.
"El Niño is expected to start influencing our weather again this summer," said Joe Cassmassi, AQMD’s senior meteorologist. "El Niño tends to weaken high pressure systems and lead to more unsettled weather conditions, both of which work against ozone formation."
Although the Southland’s weather can cause "blips" in smog levels from year to year, the long-term air pollution trend is steadily downward, Cassmassi said.
"Looking at long-term trends, we have fewer days of unhealthful air quality every year," he said. "In addition, when we do experience unhealthful air quality, the trend is for those episodes to be less severe, shorter in duration and occurring over smaller geographical areas."
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
AQMD Home Page
This page updated: March 01, 2004
URL: http://www.aqmd.gov/news1/smog_season_2002.htm