Smog Season Starts Officially on Monday

Monday is the official start of the Ventura County 1995 smog season, which runs from May through October.

Kent Field, a meteorologist with the county’s Air Pollution Control District, said the period will bring “higher temperatures combined with strong atmospheric inversions, (adding) up to a mixture that can be trouble for our health.”

Air quality is considered unhealthful when the pollutant standard index exceeds 100, health officials said.

Last year, Ventura County had 15 days when ozone levels exceeded healthful limits, health officials said. When the levels reach a pollutant standard index of 138, health advisories are called warning that the air may be harmful to children and smog-sensitive individuals.

If the ozone level rises to a pollutant standard index of 184 or higher, the district declares a Stage 1 alert.

When the air quality is poor, residents should consider taking protective measures such as ride-sharing, keeping doors and windows closed, using air conditioners to recirculate indoor air and postponing unnecessary trips.

Typically, Simi Valley, Ojai and Thousand Oaks have Ventura County’s highest ozone concentrations, officials said. Occasionally, air quality is unhealthful along the coast. In 1990, there were almost three times as many unhealthful days as last year.

Although the quality of air continues to improve throughout the county, residents still need to be aware of the potential health risks that can occur during the smog season, health officials said.