Los Angeles Air Quality Index (AQI) and California Air Pollution

Los Angeles air quality averages a US AQI or air quality index rating of “moderate.” Monthly averages in 2019 varied from AQI 32 (“good”) in February to AQI 64 ... LogincityWorldUSACaliforniaLosAngelesAirqualityinLosAngelesAirqualityindex(AQI)andPM2.5airpollutioninLosAngelesLOCATEMELASTUPDATE10:00,Dec19(localtime)3.7MpeoplefollowthiscityLosAngelesAirQualityMapReal-timeLosAngelesairpollutionmapExploremapAirQualityDatacontributor(s)Station(s)operatedbyContributorsSeeall10Jointhemovement!Getamonitorandcontributeairqualitydatainyourcity.BecomeacontributorFindoutmoreaboutcontributorsanddatasourcesWeatherWhatisthecurrentweatherinLosAngeles?WeatherClearskyTemperature12°CHumidity45%Wind0mp/hPressure1019mbAirpollutionhascostanestimated12,000deaths*inLosAngelesin2021LEARNMORE*Airpollutionalsocostapproximately$30,000,000,000USDinLosAngelesin2021.liveaqicityrankingReal-timeUSAcityranking#cityUSAQI1Westwood,California1792Loyalton,California1473SeeleyLake,Montana1364Coffeyville,Kansas1345Syracuse,Utah1316Avenal,California1297ImperialBeach,California1238Emmetsburg,Iowa1229Greenville,California12110TaftHeights,California11810:00,Dec19(localtime)SEEWORLDAQIRANKING3DanimatedairpollutionmapliveLosAngelesaqirankingReal-timeLosAngelesairqualityranking#stationUSAQI1IliffSt1262Wilmington2983KenMalloyHarborRegionalPark884CCA23rdandMeyler815CedarhurstCircle806UplandAvenue807WaverlyTerrace728LindenhurstandCrescentHeights719CCABatesandSunset7010Forresterdrive7010:00,Dec19(localtime)SEEWORLDAQIRANKINGUSAQI41liveAQIindexGoodOverviewWhatisthecurrentairqualityinLosAngeles?AirpollutionlevelAirqualityindexMainpollutantGood41USAQIPM2.5PollutantsConcentrationPM2.510µg/m³!PM2.5x2PM2.5concentrationinLosAngelesairiscurrently2timesabovetheWHOannualairqualityguidelinevalueHealthRecommendationsHowtoprotectfromairpollutioninLosAngeles?Openyourwindowstobringclean,freshairindoorsEnjoyoutdooractivitiesForecastLosAngelesairqualityindex(AQI)forecastDayPollutionlevelWeatherTemperatureWindWednesday,Dec15Good 27USAQIThursday,Dec16Moderate 66USAQIFriday,Dec17Good 23USAQISaturday,Dec18Good 33USAQI18°12°7.2mp/hTodayGood 41USAQI18°11°3.6mp/hMonday,Dec20Moderate 67USAQI19°14°3.6mp/hTuesday,Dec21Good 48USAQI17°12°7.2mp/hWednesday,Dec22Good 19USAQI14°11°39.6mp/hThursday,Dec23Good 9USAQI13°10°18mp/hFriday,Dec24Good 6USAQI13°10°10.8mp/hInterestedinhourlyforecast?GettheappHistoricalHistoricairqualitygraphforLosAngelesHowtobestprotectfromairpollution?ReduceyourairpollutionexposureinLosAngelesCarairpurifierAirpurifierAirqualitymonitorAIRQUALITYANALYSISANDSTATISTICSFORLosAngelesWhatistheairqualityinLosAngeles? LosAngelesairqualityaveragesaUSAQIorairqualityindexratingof“moderate.”Monthlyaveragesin2019variedfromAQI32(“good”)inFebruarytoAQI64(“moderate”)inNovember.Despiteseeminglyoptimisticratings,LosAngeles’sairpollutionisamongtheworstintheUnitedStates,bothforPM2.5andozone. PM2.5isairborneparticulatemattermeasuringupto2.5micronsinsize.Itiswidelyregardedasoneofthemostharmfulpollutantstohumanhealthforitsprevalenceatdangerouslevels.ExposuretoPM2.5hasbeenlinkedtohealtheffectssuchasheartdisease,respiratoryillness,andprematuredeath. ForPM2.5,thegreaterLosAngelescountycontains9ofthe15mostpollutedcitiesintheUnitedStates,accordingtothe2019WorldAirQualityReport.Inthissamereport,thecityofLosAngelesranked82ndintheUS(outof1,517includedcities).Itsannualaverage,however,differedbyonly4microgramsfromthenumberonemostpollutedcityintheU.S.:Portola,California. Accordingtothe2019StateoftheAirreport,whichcompareddataacross229metropolitanareas,LosAngeleshastheworstozoneairpollutionintheUnitedStates.Ozoneisagaspollutantformedwhensunlightreactswithnitrogenoxidesandorganicsubstances.Vehicleexhaustcontainsboththenitrogenoxidesandreactiveorganicsubstancesneededtoformozone,sotrafficisfrequentlyidentifiedasaleadingsource.LikePM2.5,ozonecancausehealtheffectsrangingfromrespiratoryinfectionsandinflammationtoprematuredeath. Together,PM2.5andozoneformthesmogthatLosAngelesisoftenknownfor.ThesummermonthsofJune,July,andAugusttendtobemorepollutedthanothermonthsforbothPM2.5andozone.Thisisbecauseofdrierconditions,lessrainfall,highertemperatures,andahigherfrequencyofwind-blowndustandwildfiresfannedbytheSantaAnawinds. LosAngelesdoesnotcurrentlymeettheU.S.EPA’snationalairqualitystandardsforbothPM2.5andozone.1Theassociatedhealthimplicationsareevidentinthenumbers.AccordingtotheCountyofLosAngelesPublicHealthDepartment,1in10childrenhavebeendiagnosedwithasthma.2Overallriskforcancer,meanwhile,isincreasedby900foreverymillion,accordingtotheSouthCoastAirQualityManagementDistrict. Airpollutiondataisanimportantresourcefortakingactiontomitigatethesehealtheffects.RefertothetopofthispageforLosAngeles’sforecastairqualitydataandreal-timeairqualitydata. HasairqualityimprovedinLosAngeles? LosAngelesairqualityhasdramaticallyimprovedoverthelast30yearsbecauseofthe1990amendmentstotheCleanAirAct.Mostrecently,year-over-yeartrendshaveresultedinreductionsinL.A.airpollutionof10.6%from2017to2018,andanother11.8%from2018to2019. DatacollectedbyEPAgovernmentalmonitorsandanalyzedintheCOVID-19AirQualityReportfoundthatLosAngelesexperiencedalongstretchofWHO-targetairquality(<10μg/m3)fromMarch7-28,2020,itslongeststreaksinceatleast1995.This18-daystretchofexceptionallycleanairislikelytheresultoflockdownmeasuresputinplacetoreducethespreadoftheCOVID-19pandemic,duringwhichnon-essentialbusinesseswereorderedtocloseandresidentswereurgedtostayathome.March2020becameLosAngeles’scleanestairqualitymonthonrecord,averagingPM2.5levelsof5.6μg/m3(USAQI23). Yearlyaveragesareoftendependentonthewildfireseason,whichcancontributetogreatlyelevatedperiodsofcity-wideairquality.Thelastthreeyearshaveseenfewerstate-wideforestfiresandburnedacreage,thoughwildfiresareexpectedtoincreaseinfrequencyoverthelongtermastemperaturesrisedroughtsbecomelonger. WhydoesLosAngeleshaveunhealthyairquality? LosAngelesisacitynotoriousforitssmog,acombinationofparticleandozonepollution.Theprevalenceofthesepollutantsresultfrommanyfactors,includingtheburningoffossilfuels,especiallybyvehicles,ships,planesandmanufacturing,aswellaswildfires. Thelargepopulationof4millioninLosAngeles,withanother6millioninthesurroundingLosAngelescounty,contributessignificantlytotheits‘nonattainment’airqualitystatusbecauseofheavyvehicularemissionsandtrafficcongestion.Itisestimatedthatthereare6.5millionvehiclesinthecityofLosAngelesalone.CurrentmayorEricGarcettisetforthasustainabilityplanthatseekstoincreasezero-emissionvehiclesinthecity,growingtheirsharefrom1.4%in2018to25%by2025,and100%by2050.3Powerconsumption,BBQs,andothersuchpersonallocalemissionsarealsoamajorsourceofairpollutionasaresultofthecity’spopulation. LosAngeles’sshippingindustryisanotherkeycontributor,particularlyinrecentyearsastradewithAsiahasexpanded.ThePortofLosAngelesandthePortofLongBeacharethetwobusiestcontainerportsintheUnitedStates.4Manyportoperationsrelyonfossilfuelordieseltopowerships,trucks,andothertransportation.SincetheimplementationoftheCleanAirActionPlanof2006,particulatematter(PM)fromtheseoperationshasdroppedby87%,whilenitrogenoxides,animportantprecursorpollutanttoozone,aredown58%.Still,theportsremainasignificantpollutionsource,producinganestimated100tonsofsmogdaily,withlittleyear-over-yearimprovementsince2011.TheLosAngelesairpollutionmapoftenrevealshigherAQIinLosAngeles’sportareas.Portauthoritiesarelookingfornewwaystofurtherdecreasetheseemissions,suchasinvestingcleanerenergytransportvehicles. Althoughthey’retemporaryandsporadic,wildfiresoftenimpactyearlyaverageairpollutioninLosAngeles.Acombinationofdryconditions,highlyflammablefuels(suchasthevolatileDouglasfirandponderosapinetreespecies),increasinglyhotsummers,steepmountains,andstrongSantaAnawindscombinetomaketheareahighlysusceptibletolargeandseverewildfires. ThegeographyofLosAngeles,inabasinsurroundedbymountains,isfurtherconducivetotrappingairpollution.Whilemanylocationsaroundtheworldcommonlyexperiencetemperatureinversionsinthewinter,LosAngelesoftenexperiencesasimilareffectinwarmermonths.ThishappenswhenrelativelywarmairfromtheGreatBasinorinlandLosAngelestrapscooler,oceanairclosetotheEarth’ssurface,preventingpollutedairfromrisinganddispersing.Thistypeoftemperatureinversioniscalledamarineinversion.TheLosAngelesmarineinversioncanoftenbeattributedtothelayerofhazeshroudingdowntownbuildingsinpicturesfromthefamousHollywoodsign. HowtoreduceairpollutioninLosAngeles? WhileairpollutionlevelsinLosAngelesstillfarexceedfederalstandards,significantimprovementshavebeenmadeinthelasttwodecades.Californiabeganaddressingairpollutionin1967whenitestablishedtheCaliforniaAirResourcesBoard(CARB),anorganizationwhosemissionistounitelocalgovernments,businesses,andresidentswiththegoalofresearchingandlegislatingeffectiveairpollutionpolicy.5Thisboardwaslaterempoweredbythelegislativeactionofthefederalgovernmentin1970,thatestablishedtheCleanAirAct.TheCleanAirAct,alongwiththelater1977and1990amendments,createdfederalairqualitymonitoring,emissioncontrol,andenforcement.TheCleanAirActhasbeendeemedthemosteffectivefederalregulationsforcleanair,estimatedtohavepreventedasmanyas237,000deathsfrom1970to2020.6 Currenteffortshavebeenledprimarilybylocalandstateregulations,furtheringanagendatoreduceemissionsacrossthetransportationsectoralongwithanumberofhigh-pollutingindustries. Amongthemostpromisingeffortsistheshifttowardselectricvehicles(EVs).Currently,motorvehiclesrepresenttheleadingsourceofcity-widePM2.5andnitrogendioxide,anozoneprecursorpollutant.Otherimprovements,suchasincreasingthepercentageofthepowergridthatreliesonrenewableenergy,willbeacriticalstep. Long-standingtrendsofimprovingairqualityinLosAngeles,coupledwithpromisingnewlegislationandshiftsinpurchasingbehavior,provideoptimismforthefutureofairqualityinLosAngeles. WhyistheairqualitybadtodayinLosAngeles? Changesinweathercanimpactlocalairquality.Itisweatherthatoftenhelpstoexplainacity’sairqualityvariationsdaytodaywhenemissionsremainrelativelyconstant.Sunlight,windspeedanddirection,temperature,andpressureconditionsallshapecurrentconditions.Examplesofthisinclude: Sunlightandheatcancausesomegaspollutants(nitrogendioxideandvolatileorganiccompounds)tochemicallyreactandformground-levelozone,asecondarypollutant.Highertemperaturesacceleratethisreaction,increasingozonelevels.7 Pressurecellsandtemperatureinversions(areversalofnormaltemperatureconditions,inwhichhotairblanketscoolersurfaceair,actinglikealid)canpreventemissionsfromdispersingnaturally,causingabuildupofground-levelpollution. Raincantampdownemissions,improvingairquality. Winddirectionandspeedareperhapsthemostimpactfulweatherconditiononcityemissions.StagnantaircancauseemissionstobecometrappedintheL.A.Basin,whilestrongwindscanmoveemissionsoutofthenarrowoutletsoftheSanGabrielMountains. Inadditiontoweather,extremepollutioneventssuchaswildfirescancausesignificantspikesinL.A.airquality.Suchpollutioneventshavebecomeincreasinglycommonintheareaoverthelastfewdecadesasaresultofanthropogenicclimatechange.WhensmokefillstheL.A.Basin,theregion'sgeographyandweatherconditionscanmakeitdifficultfortheairpollutiontodisperse,resultinginslowlyaccumulatingpollutionlevelsuntiltheemissionsstoporweatherchanges.UsetheIQAirwebsiteandapptofollowchangingAQIlevelsinLosAngeles.Whenairisforecasttobeunhealthy,reduceyourexposurebylimitingstrenuousoutdooractivity,closingyourdoorsandwindows,andrunninganairpurifierandwearinganairpollutionmaskifavailable. +ArticleResources [1]Californianon-attainment/maintenancestatusforeachcountybyyearforallcriteriapollutants.(2020). [2]MazzaS.(2018,August7).InvestigationfindsLAHarbor-areasmogchallengesgrowasnewhealththreatsemerge. [3]RothS.(2019,May6).LosAngelessetsdramaticnewgoalsforelectriccars. [4]VockDC.(2019,June).CanAmerica’sbiggestportsgogreen? [5]CaliforniaAirResourcesBoard.(2020).History.CARB. [6]UnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA).(2020).BenefitsandcostsoftheCleanAirAct1990-2020,thesecondprospectivestudy. [7]NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration.(2020).Clearingtheaironweatherandairquality.LosAngelesairqualitydataattributionContributors10GovernmentSouthCoastAirQualityManagementDistrict2stationsCaliforniaAirResourcesBoard(CARB)2stationsNASA-NationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration3stationsSouthCoastAirQualityManagementDistrict(SouthCoastAQMD)3stationsNon-profitorganizationCoalitionforCleanAir(CCA)17stationsCleanAirCouncil1stationPhysiciansforSocialResponsibility–LosAngeles(PSR-LA)1stationIndividualtreemocker1stationAudriusM1stationAnonymous143Anonymouscontributor143stationsDatasources5PurpleAirIQAirSouthCoastAirQualityManagementDistrictCaliforniaAirResourcesBoard(CARB)AirNowDatavalidatedandcalibratedbyIQAirWhereisthecleanestairqualityinLosAngeles?LosAngelesairpollutionbylocationBrynMawrDrive0EdenDrive0RiveraCountryClub0RiveraCountryClub&WoodacresRoad0SturtevantTrail20Pasadena1TheMonastery1Riverwoodranch2SunlandBoulevard2FlickerPlace3GreenVerdugoDrive317489TuscanDr4BelAir42038GlendonAvenue5RimCanyonRoad5SawtelleNeighborhood5CCALeveringandOphir26GlenmontAvenue6HuttonDrive6PalmsBoulevard6StoneCanyonAvenue6BrentwoodSchoolEastCampus7ChautauquaBoulevard7MoragaDrive7NicholsCanyonRoad7WestlandSchool72853-2841NBeverlyGlenBlvd8BrentwoodSchoolWestCampus8CoronetDrive8DowlenDrive8KesterAvenue8OkeanPlace8YuccaStreet8Encino,LuvernePl9EscalonDr9HaddonAvenue9HeardPlace9SouthCarmelinaAvenue9TheParishofSt.Matthew9CSUNLiveOak10CentralBeldenDrive10Comstock-Dunkirk10HarvardWestlakeDriveway10VedantaCourtyard10WilshireBlvd10WoodlandHills10890NBundyDrive11BeloitAvenue11FarlinStreet11WrightwoodLane11BelAirHills12HarvardWestlakeUpperSchool12NorthMarquetteStreet12SunValley12LakeShrine13AlemanDrive14GreenOakDrive15CCACastlePeakandSunsetRidge16LincolnHeights17LockhurstDrive17WestAvenue4617CalledeMadrid18PagodaPlace18HalstedStreet19BaltimoreStreet20CalleArbolada21CareyStreet21TacubaStreet21CCACorrentiandHaddon22CCAHaddonandWeidner22UniversityofCaliforniaOutside22CasparAvenue23TropicoWay23AckermanDrive24875Terrace4925NorrisAvenue25TubaStreet25CrestaDrive26HarrisonPkwy26HillDrive26OmelvenyAvenue&RemingtonStreet26ScandiaWay26AmherstAvenue27CCAKewenandVanNuys27MunsonAvenue27NomadDrive27306NorthAvenue50-outside28CCA-EwingandValentine28CCATamarackandVanNuys28EchoPark28KeltonAvenue28CCAFilmoreandTamarack298500LouiseAvenue30Kent'syard30Northridge314124FultonAve32CentralLosAngeles33NASA-NorthSanFernandoRoad33SeaViewAvenue33PartheniaStreet34CCAAvenidaBonitaandVillaDelSol35DedeauxField35JamiesonAvenue35237SBroadway36CCA-Ladot36CCACarlandRalston39CCA-LaKretzInnovationCenter40CCACrystalandGatewood40SouthUnionAvenue40BancroftAvenue41LosAngelesUnionStation41LosAngeles-N.MainStreet45WhitsettandMagnolia45CCAGlenoaksandVanNuys49SullivanField50CCAMontagueandTelfair52PlayaVista53PlayadelRey253W37thPloutside53ValleyheartDrive5410380GlenbarrAvenue55MellonAvenue55West7thStreet55IndianaAvenue56ChaseAvenue57CummingsDrive57FairAvenue57Westchester57WestsideNeighborhoodSchool57NASA-DunbartonAvenue593rdAveVenice60OsageAvenue60Venice60VillageGreen605261ThornburnSt61ButterfieldRoad61HarborGatewaySouth61LosAngelesMemorialColiseum61MarVista611370PalmsBoulevard62CohassetStreet&HayvenhurstAvenue62DelganyAvenue62MarinaDelRey62NorthCitrusAvenue62VeniceBeach62GrandViewBoulevard63OceanView63RoseAvenue64StanleyAvenue64WestSilverLakeDrive64MeadowValleyTerrace65SycamoreSquare66CarterAvenue67ChadwickSchool67Palms67GoldwynTerrace68HancockPark68Beverlywood69GriffithViewDrive69TheVillageGreen69CCABatesandSunset70Forresterdrive70LindenhurstandCrescentHeights71WaverlyTerrace72CedarhurstCircle80UplandAvenue80CCA23rdandMeyler81KenMalloyHarborRegionalPark88Wilmington298IliffSt126ConnectWithIQAirSignupforournewsletterEmailIQAirsitesusecookiestoimproveyouronlineexperienceanddeliveradvertisementstailoredtoyourinterests.Click“ICONSENT”belowifyouconsenttoouruseofcookiesforthesepurposes.Formoreinformationaboutourhowweusecookies,includinghowtomanageyourcookiesettings,pleasereviewourPrivacyPolicy.ICONSENT Thishourlyrankingincludes2956USAcitieswithPM2.5AQI.Thishourlyrankingincludes170LosAngelesstationswithPM2.5AQI.