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Old 03-05-2012, 12:39 PM
 
Location: Glendale, CA
1,299 posts, read 2,540,810 times
Reputation: 1395

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Interesting article regarding the drop in smog in Los Angeles since the 1970s. It's not really "news" to those of us that have lived here for a while, but may be news to those people that still think of L.A. as a smoggy hell-hole.

Highlights:
  • Number of ozone advisory days down from 184 in 1977 to zero in the past couple of years
  • New cars are 99% cleaner than the 1960s versions (old cars emit 1 ton of pollution per 100k miles driven; new cars emit 10 lbs over the same distance).
  • Improvement in air quality comes even though the number of miles driven has doubled since the 1970s.
Smog in Los Angeles Down 85 Percent Since 1970′s - The Good Human
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Old 03-05-2012, 12:41 PM
 
Location: Declezville, CA
16,806 posts, read 39,950,586 times
Reputation: 17694
OTOH, microparticulate matter from diesel is way up.
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Old 03-05-2012, 02:11 PM
 
30,896 posts, read 36,965,098 times
Reputation: 34526
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fontucky View Post
OTOH, microparticulate matter from diesel is way up.
Is it really up or is it just something they pay more attention to these days? I tend to think it's the latter.
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Old 03-05-2012, 02:42 PM
 
Location: Declezville, CA
16,806 posts, read 39,950,586 times
Reputation: 17694
It's way up since all this former ag land was turned into truck yards and distribution centers in the last 30 years.
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Old 03-05-2012, 05:33 PM
 
362 posts, read 817,970 times
Reputation: 160
Holy cow, I can't imagine how bad it must've been back then, if today is an improvement!
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Old 03-05-2012, 05:50 PM
 
Location: Glendale, CA
1,299 posts, read 2,540,810 times
Reputation: 1395
Quote:
Originally Posted by Troof View Post
Holy cow, I can't imagine how bad it must've been back then, if today is an improvement!
Check these photos out, it's hard to believe it was this bad:

L.A.'s Smoggy Past, in Photos | History | SoCal Focus | KCET
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Old 03-05-2012, 05:51 PM
 
Location: Declezville, CA
16,806 posts, read 39,950,586 times
Reputation: 17694
It was horrible. I'd walk home from school (early 60s), ~1 mile, and by the time I reached the house breathing was painful. Anything 200 yards or more away was indistinct to invisible.
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Old 03-05-2012, 06:05 PM
 
Location: In a house
21,956 posts, read 24,314,324 times
Reputation: 15031
I'm glad I was up I lived Big Bear at that time then--although--the smog is even more dangerous up there at the high elevations--you can't see it but it is there and with the lack of oxygen at the high altitude you are breathing a stronger version of good old smog--even still true today. Look at all our poor pine trees etc that died of the smog. Very very sad. It was strange because in our very small population in our high school we had a lot of cases of Lupus--who knows why??? But really we were a pretty healthy bunch of hillbillies! I will admit we all hated to go "down the hill" into that smog! Yuk!
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Old 03-05-2012, 06:20 PM
 
Location: Declezville, CA
16,806 posts, read 39,950,586 times
Reputation: 17694
Quote:
Originally Posted by cynwldkat View Post
Look at all our poor pine trees etc that died of the smog.
And the Pine Beetles.
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Old 03-05-2012, 07:17 PM
 
Location: East Fallowfield, PA
2,299 posts, read 4,827,377 times
Reputation: 1176
Yea, I still remember that pain in my chest on those truly smoggy days. Also not being able to see the mountains because the smog was so thick.
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