smog and off-shore breezes?? (days, cities, most, North)

[HeatherPatton]

My husband and I want to buy an OLD house in San Diego in the cities of Oceanside, Vista, or Carlsbad...

we found a great turn-of-the-century Victorian in Oceanside (a 1/2 mile from the ocean)...but it's RIGHT next to the 5 freeway (it's a major freeway but only busy at rush hour).

I'm worried about smog b/c of my two young infants...but does the off-shore breeze carry it away? There is a tall wall bordering the freeway about 50 feet from the house but I'm still concerned for their health...

Should I be? or will it be just as bad (pollution-wise) inland after the wind carries everything toward Escondido (25 miles inland and the house we're considering is about 2 miles from from a major freeway) and Vista (15 miles inland and the house we're considering is about 2 miles NORTH of a semi-major freeway)?

also, I checked out something called inversion or something when the ocean air gets nasty and then trapped, but I'm not sure Oceanside is that high...anyone know about this subject? It is vital for your opinion as this is our first home and health of my babies is everything! TYIA!

[recycled]

I would not want to live in a home that is so close to a major highway like I-5. Four+ lanes in each direction packed with cars and trucks most of the day, and even quite busy at night. A tall wall might block some of the noise, but you would not want to leave a window open. The worst thing about living near a major highway is the tiny particle pollution from car and truck exhaust, tires and brake linings. A high concentration of this stuff settles within about 1/4 mile of the highway.

Oceanside-Vista area has a good air quality index over 95 percent of the time if you can stay away from the major highways. There are a few times during the year when strong Santa Ana winds blow air pollution from the LA area westbound and out over the Pacific, around Catalina and San Clemente Islands and sometimes it swirls back towards Northern San Diego counties. But this might occur on just a few days a year. Most of the time, Oceanside area has onshore ocean breezes that keep the air cleaner than most places, as long as you don't live next to I-5.