How bad is the los angeles air? (smog, health)

[whitechocolate86]

Everyone has heard about the bad air of los angeles, I have been to Dallas many times and houston a few times, la, houston, and dfw are all in the top 10 most polluted metropolitan areas of the nation if I am not mistaken. I have never felt uncomfortable breathing dallas air...do healthy people have bad reactions to la air? can the la air impair your health (supposedly, breathing mexico city's air is like smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day), I know that la has much more stringent pollution controls, but is it health threatening to breathe it in?
Thank You

[EscapeCalifornia]

Its not a problem for most people. The air sure is ugly to look at though.

[dereistic01]

yep, sometimes driving in burbank you can barely see the mountains when they're only 5 or so miles away (maybe farther, im not good at judging distances).

[SAT3LokS]

Doesn't bother me. But sometimes you can't see downtown.

[dereistic01]

maybe this is a stupid question, but is there any way to tell how bad the smog will be each day? im hoping to go to the observatory tuesday and get some pictures of the city.

[woogexx]

that isnt a stupid question at all, usually on days smog is supposed to be at its worse, it is told on the news. dont kno bout LA but here in sac the smog news comes after traffic....i would think la news does smog news as well....check the local news station sites.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by dereistic01

maybe this is a stupid question, but is there any way to tell how bad the smog will be each day? im hoping to go to the observatory tuesday and get some pictures of the city.

Forecast

from

Air Quality Levels

[JerZ]

For asthmatics or people with allergies, it's bad.

I don't have either so I'm fine.

My husband and middle son have allergies and rarely a day goes by without nose-blowing, irritated eyes or what-have-you.

[SurekRZA]

I agree with the allergies. It can suck if you have allergies but it just takes a little getting used to. As far as the air goes, it's not really noticeable unless you're viewing SoCal from the mountains or hills. When it rains it really clears up, like today.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by SurekRZA

As far as the air goes, it's not really noticeable unless you're viewing SoCal from the mountains or hills. When it rains it really clears up, like today.

I see the brown cloud every day from flat areas of central/western OC and SE LA county. Starting at the horizon and looking up, the air goes from brown to pale blue to deeper blue overhead.