Emissions from motor vehicles and other sources, including warmer weather, stagnant air and increased solar radiation, allow ozone to form and hover above Ventura County. Yet our air has dramatically improved over the years. Progress has been steady and, overall, the air is getting cleaner year by year. Pollutants are being emitted into the air at a lesser rate, but the weather dictates if the pollutants will disperse or accumulate. 66 Ozone, the main ingredient of smog, even at low levels, can cause a number of respiratory problems.
Active children are the group at highest risk from ozone exposure.
Active adults of all ages and people with asthma or other respiratory diseases are also at risk from ground-level ozone. And, even though scientists don t yet know why, some healthy people may experience health effects at more moderate levels of outdoor exertion or at lower ozone levels than the average person. For other tips, contact the Public Information Division for a copy of the newly revised Ventura County s Little Air Quality Book . Local newspapers publish the Air Quality Index daily. Site design by VC APCD Information Systems Division.