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With drop in LA’s vehicular aerosol pollution, vegetation emerges as major source

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With drop in LA’s vehicular aerosol pollution, vegetation emerges as major source

Aerosols—particles of hydrocarbons referred to as PM2.5 because they are smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter and easily lodge in the lungs—are proven to cause cardiovascular and respiratory problems.

As a result of strict vehicle emissions laws, organic aerosol levels have been significantly reduced throughout the United States, but the drop has been particularly dramatic in Los Angeles, which started out at a higher level.

Based on pollution measurements over the past 20 years, the UC Berkeley scientists found that concentrations of PM2.5 in the Los Angeles basin in 2012 were half what they were in 1999. As a result, from 2016 to 2018, there were almost no PM2.5 violations in the area when temperatures were low, below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. But at warmer temperatures, aerosol concentrations rose—over the same time period, 70% to 80% of days over 100 F exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) threshold.

Weird but fascinating article about how Los Angeles choice of palm trees may be effecting ozone levels on hot days. That said, color me skeptical as there are still a lot of tailpipes in a unique air basin that traps in pollution.

There Will Never Be “Enough” Parking – Streetsblog USA

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There Will Never Be “Enough” Parking – Streetsblog USA

Here me out: there will never be enough parking.

What isn’t unique to Rochester, is that there is actually far more parking than there are people. In America, the estimate is roughly 800 million parking spaces (for a population slightly over 300 million in our country, and far fewer drivers than that). We don’t have a supply problem. This is a demand problem…

Time to Worry About Thieves Stealing Your Car’s Catalytic Converter

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Time to Worry About Thieves Stealing Your Car’s Catalytic Converter

The past couple of weeks have not been good for catalytic converter thieves in California. Last week, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department raided four locations, arresting 19 people and seizing 250 stolen catalytic converters. This week, sheriffs in neighboring San Bernardino county raided a home and recovered 400 stolen converters. Meanwhile, in nearby Anaheim, a would-be converter thief died when he was crushed by the Toyota Prius whose converter he was trying to pillage.

air pollution in US subway systems stuns researchers | Environment | The Guardian

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‘People should be alarmed’: air pollution in US subway systems stuns researchers | Environment | The Guardian

People traveling on subway systems in major US cities are being exposed to unsafe amounts of air pollution, with commuters in New York and New Jersey subjected to the highest levels of pollution, research has found.

Tiny airborne particles, probably thrown up by train brakes or the friction between train wheels and rails, are rife in the 71 underground stations sampled by researchers during morning and evening rush hours in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC, the cities that contain the bulk of subway systems in the US.