| Oct. 2, 2007 This year’s
smog season is shaping up as the cleanest on record due to continued efforts
by the region and state to cut air pollution from all sources in conjunction
with unseasonably cool temperatures in early summer.
“This year’s smog season numbers tell us that we are headed in the right
direction toward our goal of clean air,” said William A. Burke, Ed.D.,
Governing Board Chairman of the South Coast Air Quality Management
District. “The challenge ahead will be to maintain and increase our
momentum, especially in cleaning up construction equipment, trucks, trains,
ships and the ports.”
As of Oct. 1, the Southland had exceeded the federal 8-hour ozone health
standard on 78 days, compared to 86 days during all of 2006 and 84 days in
2005, the cleanest year on record prior to this year.
This year’s peak 8-hour ozone concentration, 0.137 parts per million (ppm),
is the lowest on record and below last year’s peak of 0.142 ppm. This
year’s peak ozone level occurred on July 1 in Crestline.
Even more dramatically, the number of days exceeding the former one-hour
ozone standard was nearly cut in half from 35 last year to an all-time low
of 18 this year. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revoked
the former 1-hour ozone standard (0.12 ppm) and replaced it with the more
stringent 8-hour standard in 2005, it is still an important benchmark for
air quality.
Weather plays a significant role during every smog season, and this year,
cooler temperatures in May and June may have contributed to fewer smoggy
days.
In spite of dramatic progress in reducing smog levels during the past
several decades, Southern California continues to have the worst overall air
pollution in the nation. This year, the Southland once again exceeded the
San Joaquin Valley and Houston in peak ozone concentrations as well as the
number of days above the ozone standard.
“This reminds us that we need to continue the concerted efforts among all
levels of government to bring clean air to the 16 million residents in our
region,” Burke said.
Smog season officially begins on May 1 and ends on Oct. 31. However,
autumn’s cooler temperatures and shorter days dramatically reduce the
potential for ozone formation – the ozone standard has not been exceeded
since Sept. 9.
Ground-level ozone, a colorless and pungent gas, damages lung cells and
may be linked to permanent lung damage. (Ozone in the stratospheric “ozone
layer,” several miles above Earth, protects people from the sun’s harmful
radiation.) Ground-level ozone can cause short-term health effects
including chest pain, coughing, and nose and throat irritation, and is
linked to increased symptoms for those with asthma and bronchitis.
AQMD
is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions of
Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
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