Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
Nine to 33 million visits to the emergency room (ER) for asthma worldwide may be triggered by breathing in air polluted by ozone or fine particulate matter—pollutants that can enter the lung’s deep airways, according to a study published today. Scientists have long known that breathing in air sullied by car emissions and other pollutants … Read more
It was back on Nov. 5, 2012 that I wrote the post: “Smog more than an eyesore – it’s a wake-up call.” Almost six years later, I ask: Is it? I mean, is it, really?! Here is some of what I conveyed back on that date: “I know for a fact there are people whose … Read more
So, let’s begin this journey with something as basic as one-way streets. With one-way streets, the entire roadway width, besides eliminating opposite-direction travel on part of the street, same-direction (or current-of-traffic) vehicle movement enables same-direction parking on both sides of the street. Such a provision can make locating a parking space somewhat less encumbered and … Read more
I have heard at least once if not more times that July 2018 is California’s hottest month ever recorded. 124 years ago, it should be noted, is when such temperature-data recordkeeping first began. On Saturday, a friend in Bakersfield texted that the Air Quality Index there had reached an unhealthy (for everyone) 151. Ozone was … Read more
I have heard that the windiest spot in California, maybe up and down America’s entire west coast, is at Point Reyes, located north of the City by the Bay – San Francisco. Been there, seen that. Altamont Pass is another windswept Golden State fixture, and, yet another, the Palm Desert region of the south state. … Read more
Stepping outside the other evening I bore witness to an anomaly. Never before in my life had I seen anything like it: A red-colored ball on the western horizon. It was a celestial scene, the kind seen both in silver screen productions and television programs and presentations from the likes of your Gene Roddenbury’s and … Read more
The heat is on in many parts of the northern hemisphere. And, that, in places, means ozone buildup in air. California’s San Joaquin Valley being one such place. With the many wildfires burning in the western U.S., what if any affect could this be having on localized ground-level ozone? Soot from the fires, you should … Read more
Right around this time last year, I put up the “Need to further reduce smog, soot, world-warming pollution in new report emphasized” post. Not good was the air-quality picture in the U.S. then. So, some of what I had conveyed in writing supporting that premise at that time was: “According to Environment America, people in … Read more
Imagine a city, any city, having to contend with smog for three-quarters of a century. Seventy-five years; that’s a lifetime! Recognizing Los Angeles’ 75-year battle with smog is what this thread is about. How it happened On July 8, 1943, Los Angeles smog was born. The smog was so thick, in fact, that area visibility … Read more
One of the reasons I so enjoy watching travel-type shows is because on the preferred ones watched, water, rail and roadway travel all get equal billing. Imagine if that was the norm, I mean, regarding everyday travel. That would be great! Now, the method relied on most heavily, of course, is the last – roadway … Read more