This will usually go away on its own. Sometimes it looks like a blue-green algae bloom (which is extremely toxic). As Southern California continues to struggle through this summer’s unrelenting smog, a study released Wednesday, Aug. 10, gives a stark reminder of why air quality matters. This past year Long Beach was awarded a competitive $4.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. On the beach, garbage is not only unsightly, but can also attract rodents and insects. CLICK HERE TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS. If you had primary contact (think swimming), you probably swallowed about 1 – 2.5 tablespoons of water per 45 minutes of swimming. That’s a tough one. Water quality has been an ongoing concern at the Port of Long Beach since the early 1990s, according to the port’s acting director of environmental planning, Matt Arms. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale area, about 1,341 people are estimated to die each year because of bad air. As of Aug. 8, the region had exceeded the federal health standard”>exceeded the federal health standard of .07 parts per million for lung-irritating ozone during at least 90 days. Other programs managed by the health department include an Asthma Life Skills Academy for Adults created in partnership with POLB. You may also smell kerosene or gasoline. If you happened to be walking anywhere along the Washington coast late at night during October, you might have chanced upon an unusual site: a group of bundled-up volunteers from Puget Soundkeeper and other groups trekking out into the water, carrying cages full of native mussels. And what do you do about it? . You’ll probably see not-so-nice things in the water, like tampons, disposable wipes, condoms, and other items that are flushed down the toilet (even if they shouldn’t be). The Clean Air Action Plan is a joint effort to cut the emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and diesel particulates. “Anything we can do to reduce particle and gaseous air pollutants will be extremely helpful in the long run,” Baydur said. Renee Moilanen, environmental specialist associate at the Port of Long Beach (POLB), said the ports’ leadership believes it is possible to achieve both economic and environmental success without sacrificing the health of the community. The study’s lead author, Kevin Cromer, a professor at the NYU institute, said by telephone that he hopes the results will raise public awareness and better inform policy makers. Inflammation from air pollution also can trigger heart attacks, Baydur said. What do you do if you come into contact with one? Green means the beach passed water quality tests 95% of the time or more. Barrett pointed out that, during 2015 to 2017 (the years covered by the report), California experienced seven of the 20 most destructive wildfires in its history. These emissions are produced by the vehicles that crisscross the several thousand miles of streets inside the Los Angeles Basin, as well as the ship traffic and cargo handling equipment in the San Pedro Bay ports. The health department’s management and implementation of its lead program over the years has made it a consistently outstanding applicant for the grant – and has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its performance in carrying out its mission. They did not count deaths from cancers that take decades to develop or deaths from the exacerbation of other chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! “We established a mosquito hotline and the community basically helped us find that mosquito,” he said. Ingesting water that is contaminated with blue-green algae can lead to headaches, nausea, diarrhea, cramping, and vomiting. Please report your pollution concerns so Affiliates can help keep other beach-goers safe. In the most recent survey, Arms reported marked improvement in sediment-dwelling creatures, as well as new species of fish and abalone. If you’ve drank or ingested contaminated water, see your doctor. Take a photo of it and report it to the Swim Guide. Suffice it to say that if you’re swimming anywhere, there’s probably microplastics. Don’t eat fish from a contaminated lake, and don’t drink water (even if it’s been boiled) from a contaminated water source. This infographic summarizes water quality information for 1,496 beaches in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River watershed. The couple has one adult daughter, Rosemary. That makes the L.A. area’s air quality the deadliest in the nation. Rinse off. you usually can’t see them. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale area, this number was about 2.9 million, while the Inland area had 1.3 million such days. You can have a skin reaction from prolonged exposure, eye and ear infections, gastrointestinal illness (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea). It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. In an April press release, the PHA announced that it is not prepared to handle the injuries that could result from a release of modified hydrofluoric acid (MHA) from refineries located in Torrance or Wilmington. Yellow means the beach passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time. That’s 24 more unhealthful days than last year, with the worst pollution in the Crestline, Redlands and San Bernardino areas. How soon will fixed mortgage rates fall below 2%? Sometimes, with prolonged exposure and in highly polluted water, contact with oil can lead to liver or kidney disorders, respiratory ailments (if you’re regularly exposed), digestive disorders, and intestinal infections, like parasites, cholera, and hepatitis. Blue-green algae is extremely toxic for humans and animals. You might recognize plastic pollution by the larger pieces of plastic that are visible to the human eye: disposable water bottles, for example. In more severe cases, ingesting contaminated water can lead to liver failure and even death. A major factor influencing the ALA’s most recent State of the Air report was the continued impacts of climate change. How do you recognize it? The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. “The wildfires in 2017, especially the Thomas Fire, had a real impact on particle levels. Not only is sewage in the water or at the beach just plain gross, it causes bacteria like E. coli to become extremely elevated. According to the 2019 “State of the Air” report released by the American Lung Association (ALA) last month, Southern California residents “face the most challenging air pollution levels in the United States.”. Officials with the South Coast Air Quality Management District welcomed the study. It is a result of manufacturing, transportation and a dependence on fossil fuels like gas and coal. This one’s pretty self-explanatory: garbage can be the result of direct littering (on the beach or into the water), though garbage can also be blown longer distances through wind. He is a member of the American Thoracic Society, which recommends a more protective ozone standard of 60 parts per billion. First, the bad news. It got me thinking: what counts as pollution? Air pollution causes inflammation that creates mucus and swelling that blocks internal air passageways, he said. More Information . David Danelski is an investigative and environmental reporter for The Press-Enterprise newspaper in Riverside, California. The Santa Ana-Irvine area had 64 estimated deaths from air pollution. The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area was second worst, with about 808 people estimated to die annually because of air pollution. That’s a tough one. He expressed support for the Long Beach Municipal Urban Stormwater Treatment facility, currently in its design phase, which would intercept water from city storm drains to filter out harmful contaminants. http://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js. The UCR bell tower can be seen through a haze of smog on Monday, June 27, 2016 in Riverside. Contact with a bloom can cause rashes, blisters, and skin and mouth ulcers. Of particular concern are people who need to treat themselves with oxygen from portable oxygen tanks, he said. The study was based on air pollution data for both fine particle and ozone levels in U.S. metropolitan areas recorded in 2011, 2012 and 2013. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. “An estimated 9,000 deaths a year is quite significant.”.