Valley air cleaner this summer
| Tuesday, Jul 28 2009 05:58 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Jul 28 2009 05:58 PM
A cooler-than-usual June and efforts to clean the valley's air are combining to make breathing a little easier this summer.
Not since 2005 has the San Joaquin Valley violated a key national air standard fewer days at this point in the year.
We stood at 50 exceedances of the so-called 8-hour ozone rule Monday, down from 65 in 2008 and 64 in 2007, according to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
Weather has a lot to do with our air quality conditions but evidence suggests more than just a meteorological fluke is in play here, said Scott Nester, air district director of planning.
Yes, June was cooler than normal and there were 10 or 11 fewer days over the standard than is typical, he said.
But peak ozone concentrations didn't change from June to July, suggesting efforts to clean the air have played a role, too, Nester said.
"Emissions are doing down," he said. "That's what the San Joaquin Valley air district wants."
And there's also the economic downturn. Fewer goods are being moved and fewer miles are being driven, which could also be helping clear our air, Nester said.
Other air districts in the state are generally seeing air improvements, he said, also suggesting the economic climate is having an effect.
Ozone is an invisible gas formed when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants and other sources chemically react in the presence of sunlight.
It's the main ingredient of smog and can damage lung tissue and aggravate breathing problems.
From the "Who knew?" file, really warm temperatures like those we saw last week can improve air conditions.
When temperatures get over about 105 degrees, the inversion layer rises and the concentration of ozone close to the valley floor tends to stabilize, and not continue to climb, Nester said.
Bakersfield is the second most ozone-polluted city in the country after Los Angeles, according to the American Lung Association's 2009 State of the Air rankings. We stood there the year before, too.
OZONE RULE VIOLATIONS AS OF JULY 26
2009: 50
2008: 65
2007: 64
2006: 65
2005: 47
Source: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
