Hazy days for Santa Monica
Haze — and a lot of it — has been hovering over Santa Monica and other beachside cities, causing some of the worst air quality the area has experienced in a decade.
Santa Ana winds blowing east to west have pushed inland pollution closer to the coast, causing air quality levels to be lowered to a moderate rating for the past month. Air quality officials say Santa Monica experienced more days with “moderate” air quality last month than any month in nearly 10 years.
“You would expect coastal areas to have some of the best air quality, which it typically does,” said Sam Atwood, a South Coast Air Quality Management District spokesman. “But the Santa Anna effect returns much of the polluted air back to the coast.”
Santa Monica’s air quality has been rated “good” for two days in a row and it is expected to remain that way today.
However, the summer months typically have some of the worst air quality levels because high pressure systems combined with high temperatures prevent pollution from moving out to the deserts and valleys, and traps it closer to the ground, officials said.
The highest pollution levels are typically found in the early morning so anyone looking to exercise are encouraged to do so around noon, Atwood said. However, pollution summaries taken from the SCAQMD Web site indicate pollution levels in Santa Monica have been the highest during early evening and lowest in the morning.
Air quality is graded on the amount of Ozone, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide and particulate matter it contains. The Air Quality Management Board has developed an index that judges air quality based on the amounts those chemicals present.
Good air quality is said to range from 0- 50 on the index, while air that is considered to be “unhealthful for everyone” is greater than 150.
Though the “moderate” rating, which ranges between 51-100 on the index, does not affect most persons who are sensitive to polluted air, it does harm the elderly, those with lung and heart conditions or persons with asthma.
“People who live along the coast are fortunate in that they’re not likely to see their air quality go below the moderate range,” Atwood said. “Even the most sensitive individuals are not likely to notice many symptoms.”
Ozone, which is considered the most unhealthful form of air pollution, is formed when three atoms of Oxygen combine to form an “energetic combination” that rapidly releases chemical energy. When ozone is inhaled it damages the sensitive tissue that lines the respiratory system.
“Being exposed to ozone is like getting a sunburn on your lungs,” Atwood said. “It causes damage that can be repaired over time, but there are concerns that persons who are chronically exposed to high ozone levels may become more susceptible to lung cancer.”
And it doesn’t help that Santa Monica is a thriving tourist magnet that attracts many motorists going to the beach and the Third Street Promenade.
“We certainly get a lot of vehicular traffic because we are a beach town,” said Dean Kubani, a city environmental analyst. “Other cities that aren’t as much of a destination don’t get the kind of traffic we see here.”
While there is not much Santa Monica can do to curb or control regional air pollution that affects the city, officials have launched an extensive environmental campaign to cut emissions locally.
More than 75 percent of Santa Monica’s fleet of municipal vehicles run on some form of alternative fuels or are powered by half gasoline-half electric engines. The alternative vehicles emit far less pollutants believed to be responsible for smog and the creation of ozone.
The Big Blue Bus also has begun a program to convert its fleet of diesel-powered buses into vehicles that run on liquid nitrogen gas, which is much cheaper and pollutes far less.
Santa Monica also has one of the strongest ride-share programs in the region, and city officials said they are now trying to expand the municipal program to local businesses as well. The average number of people coming to work for the city in one vehicle averages 1.7 persons per vehicle, whereas the region’s average is about 1.27 persons per vehicle.
“Santa Monica has one of the most advanced sustainable city plans in the world,” said Kubani. “People come from throughout the world to study what’s being done here.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 24, 2002. Read the original PDF.