That compares with only 9 days in San Diego County, and 8 days in the SF Bay Area. The Monterey Bay Area had zero days in which the federal 1-hour ozone standards were exceeded. But we are still a long ways from clean air. It will cost a lot of money to get the rest of the way there, but the benefits will continue to be far greater than the costs. But the health effects of air pollution are many, and can be serious.
Medical research shows that toxic air pollution is linked to cancer, chronic bronchitis, and asthma.
The Smog Check program, when fully enforced, reduces ozone causing emissions by as much as 100 tons per day. There are few things that can reduce emissions by this much. But unfortunately, the Smog Check program is not being fully enforced. The Coalition for Clean Air is urging Governor Gray Davis to fully enforce the Smog Check program. In other words, a cancer risk of 1,400 in a million at a location means that individuals staying at that location for 70 years have a 1,400 in a million chance of contracting cancer as a result of their exposure.