Air 
Did you Know...
You can reduce emissions of toxic air pollutants known to cause cancer in humans simply by parking in the shade, refueling your vehicle at night and refraining from topping off your tank.
The Good News
Thanks to emission control devices like the catalytic converter and cleaner, unleaded fuels, California’s air quality has improved dramatically over the past 50 years. Carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and lead no longer exceed health-based standard levels, and even ozone and particulate levels are lower than they used to be. We’ve also seen the cancer risk from toxic air pollutants fall by 45% since 1990 statewide.
The Bad News
Although air quality has improved overall, the Los Angeles metropolitan area, which includes Riverside County, has once again topped the American Lung Association's list of most polluted metropolitan areas in the U.S. The two pollutants that the Association based its findings on, ozone and particulate matter, can contribute to heart disease, lung cancer and asthma attacks. What’s more, human activity releases hundreds of toxic air pollutants into the atmosphere, 216 of which have been found to cause breast cancer in lab animals.
To learn more about air pollution and what you can do to improve the quality of the air we breathe, sign up for a TeachingGreen:Air workshop today.
