The Importance Of Air Quality In California

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Air is arguably the most needed element to sustain life on Earth. Air quality is the degree of clean air that surrounds us and good air quality refers to clean, unpolluted air that is essential to maintaining the delicate balance of life on this planet (British Columbia Air Quality 101 2016). However, with the industrialization age and its heavy use of coal power machineries, to today’s age and our ever growing use of automobile air quality has gotten worst. In the US, for example, California has the worst air quality of all the major cities (CNN Air pollution report 2016). However, several efforts are taking place to address the problem.

Los Angeles Example

California is the perfect place for air pollution. Its topography and warm weather …show more content…

Los Angeles Air Quality
• Average year round particle Pollution: 15.1 ug/M3
• People with asthma: …show more content…

The atoms then recombine into molecules of relatively harmless substances such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water, which blow out safely through the exhaust.(Michael B. Sauter, Sam Stebbins and Thomas C. Frohlich, 24/7 Wall St.9:33 a.m. EDT August 22, 2015)
It should be pointed out that Catalytic Converters require the use of unleaded fuel to work. In 1976, because of the clean air act, a move away from leaded fuel began and leaded gasoline was completely phased out in the US in 1996. The removal of lead and introduction of catalytic converter is one of the many step that can be credited for the reduction of air pollution in Los Angeles.

Although a big effort has been taken since 1940 to clean Los Angeles air quality growth remain one of the biggest sabotage of all the success so far. The population of the city is growing as well as the number of cars registered. It is a delicate balance between having one of the most restricted emission control in the nation and the need to maintain industrial and economic growth to sustain the future generations.

According to the South Coast AQMD, However, stage 1 ozone have plummeted to from 121 in 1977 to just 7 in 1996. And today with twice as many cars ozone levels in Los Angeles are just 40 % of what they were in the mid 1970 (Sara Gardner Market place

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