Smog Situation Still Serious in Los Angeles

“Los Angeles: Nothing Like a Breath of Fresh Air” (July 5) was probably the most comprehensive and self-help-oriented piece on L.A.’s smog problem I have seen to date. Although the results still aren’t in, I suspect that middle-aged people like myself--raised healthy by concerned parents who, had they been able to, might have opted for a cleaner environment--will have lifelong problems.

Although I left L.A. in my early 20s and came back for only about six years while raising a child in Sierra Madre, I continue to experience a susceptibility to bronchitis and other respiratory ailments. (I felt the best when I was running in Eugene, Ore., but when I stopped, the infections, only treatable by antibiotics, would resurface.)

I still remember the aching lungs I got when playing tennis in the Pasadena area. Smog, more than anything else, must be considered the greatest local danger/hazard, especially to young children.

--WILLIAM L. SEAVEY

Santa Maria

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Scientists and researchers have had more than 30 years to study this horrible disease (yes, it is a disease), and yet we are still the worst city in the nation for smog. It affects not only our breathing and our eyes, but the very core of our existence.

I think it’s time for immediate action.

--TONI JACOBSON

Monterey Park