Southern California’s air quality watchdog is warning people to stay inside due to dangerous air pollution. High temperatures and smoke from local fires is making it worse. The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory earlier this week due to fires in San Bernardino and Santa Barbara.
Scott Epstein, who oversees air quality assessment for the agency, says the region has been spared from some of the worst impacts from the wildfire smoke..
But says combustion pollutants from cars and trucks react with the sun to create ozone. High temperatures around the region make the air worse.
"In the summer, we have these dominant winds that pushes everything inland and it takes time for those emissions to react in the air and form ozone. Those reactions also happen faster when it’s hotter," said Epstein.
Breathing high levels of air pollution can cause serious problems for people with heart and lung disease. Residents should try to stay inside, use air purifiers and run air conditioning rather than fans.
Meanwhile, excessive heat warnings are still in effect for the Inland Empire until tomorrow.