NUMBER OF SMOG DAYS UP INCREASE CONNECTED TO HEAT LAST SUMMER.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer LANCASTER - A blistering hot summer is being blamed for pushing up the number of days Antelope Valley's smog exceeded the federal health standard. The Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District reported that the region's ozone levels exceeded the federal standard of 0.08 parts per million parts per million mg/kg or ml/l; see ppm. on 31 days this ``smog season,'' compared with 24 days last year. The smog season runs from May to October. The smoggiest day this year was Aug. 6, when an ozone reading of 0.127 was recorded. The increase is being attributed to the hot weather that hit much of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , including the Los Angeles basin The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal sediment-filled plain located between the peninsular and transverse ranges in southern California in the United States containing the central part of the city of Los Angeles as well as its southern and southeastern suburbs (both in Los Angeles . Most of the Antelope Valley's air pollution blows in from metropolitan Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. through Soledad Canyon, and over the Tehachapi Mountains from the San Joaquin Valley Noun 1. San Joaquin Valley - a vast valley in central California known for its rich farmland Calif., California, Golden State, CA - a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes , so worsening smog there usually means worse smog here. ``If it's warmer down there, if they don't get the coastal fog, we see our numbers go up,'' said Bret Banks, the district's operations manager. The South Coast air basin, which includes portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, had 84 days that exceeded the federal standard. The San Joaquin Valley had 72 days over the standard. ``The Antelope Valley's air quality is overwhelmingly influenced by wind-blown air pollutants from the south coast basin - and other upwind urban areas - into the region,'' said Chuck Fryxell, the A.V. district's air pollution control officer. ``As emissions continue to decline in the L.A. basin, the Antelope Valley will continue to reap the benefits in the form of cleaner, more healthful health·ful adj. 1. Conducive to good health; salutary. 2. Healthy. health  ful·ness n. air.'' This year is the first year in which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and has switched from measuring ozone from a one-hour period to averaging it over an 8-hour span. Under the old reporting standard, there would have been one day of ozone excess instead of 31, district officials said. This year was Antelope Valley's sixteenth without a Stage 1 smog alert. A Stage 1 alert is called when the level hits 0.20 or higher. During a Stage 1 alert, elderly people and children, as well as people of any age who have heart or lung ailments, are urged to stay indoors. Air quality officials say Antelope Valley smog is far less than it was in the 1980s. The valley's worst smog year was in 1981, when seven Stage 1 alerts were declared. Jim Skeen, (661) 267-5743 james.skeen(at)dailynews.com |
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