Report: California drought could worsen air pollution

Report: California drought could worsen air pollution: "Drought conditions may be exacerbating air pollution throughout California, according to a report released by the American Lung Association on Wednesday.

ALA experts said many Western cities, as well as Riverside County as a whole, have been recording record numbers of days with high levels of short-term particle pollution. Low levels of precipitation can trap fine particles of pollution close to the ground, contributing to asthma attacks and hospitalizations for respiratory disease.

Drought conditions can also cause hotter weather, which increases levels of ozone or smog in the air.

"The drought is having a very real impact," said Alexander Sheriffs, a member of the California Air Resources Board and a family physician based in Fresno. "With the increasing frequency of heat events, we can expect more stagnant air days, which will increase ozone days (...) Agricultural burning and wildfires, which are going to become much more common, will contribute to poor air quality.""



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