Air Pollution in the Inland Empire

Normal ambient air, what we breathe, is a mix of particles and vapor from a mix of natural and man-made sources. Air pollution is the presence of harmful or toxic pollutants in the air, most of which come from energy production and use.  

Pollutants are emitted from stationary (factories) or mobile sources (vehicles). Primary pollutants are ones that enter directly into the environment, like nitrogen oxide. Secondary pollutants are ones that interact with primary pollutants and form in the atmosphere, like smog.  

In 2018, the city of San Bernardino experienced 102 bad air days for ozone pollution. The counties of San Bernardino and Riverside topped the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2019 list for most ozone-polluted cities in the United States (Zilliac, 2020).

Nitrous oxides (NOx) are emitted by cars, trucks, and other non-road vehicles (construction equipment, boats, etc.), and industrial sources (power plants and factories). It appears as brownish gas. Because it is emitted by human routines, its levels are sensitive to changes in activities (Ober, 2020). In the air, nitrogen oxides are converted into other harmful pollutants like fine particles and ozone.

Diesel cars emit 10 times more nitrogen oxides than an equivalent gasoline car, and their exhaust fumes cause chronic health impacts cancer. Nitrogen dioxide causes a range of short-term health effects, as well, like asthma (Archer, 2015). Low levels of exposure can irritate eyes, nose, throat and lungs, possibly leading to coughing, shortness of breath, tiredness and nausea. Exposure can also result in a buildup of fluid in the lungs for 1-2 days after exposure (Environmental Justice Australia, n.d.). 

Smog is not emitted directly into the atmosphere; it requires a chemical interaction between NOx and VOCs to be created. Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are emitted from household products or building materials. When NOx interacts with VOCs in the presence of sunlight, ground level ozone is created — otherwise known as smog, the haze that blurs the mountains in the Inland Empire.  

San Bernardino County has the country’s worst ozone pollution. Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and airway inflammation. It also can reduce lung function and harm lung tissue. Those most at risk from breathing air containing ozone include people with asthma, children, older adults, and people who are active outdoors, especially outdoor workers (EPA, n.d.). Local ozone levels can be checked  here . 

Smog conditions in the Inland Empire have “an unfortunate geographic coincidence: L.A. is ringed with mountains and gets a lot of sunshine. L.A.'s nearly year-round blue skies create air pollution, which gets trapped near the ground by the surrounding mountains and a layer of warm air in the atmosphere called an inversion layer.” Although there have been significant air quality improvements since the 1970s, it hasn’t been uniform. “Coastal cities like Santa Monica breathe significantly healthier air than Inland communities. Geography, an uneven distribution of emission sources, and population growth all contribute to the Inland Empire’s disproportionate pollution exposure” (Zilliac, 2020). 

Particulate matter is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye. Others are so small they can only be detected using an electron microscope. Most particles form in the atmosphere as a result of complex reactions of chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. When these microscopic particulates are inhaled, they cause serious health problems, and can even enter the bloodstream (EPA, n.d.). 

The West Side [of San Bernardino] is a largely working class, Latino community. A recent analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that Latinos in California, compared to white residents, are exposed to particulate matter pollution that is almost 40 percent higher on average. Even in the county with the highest ozone levels in the country, the West Side has particularly bad air (Calma, 2019) .

The health impacts of air pollutants stem beyond respiratory issues: reproductive justice is threatened by poor air quality. Elevated rates of infant mortality and low birth weights have been identified, as well as cases of children born with gastroschisis near transportation hubs. Because of these direct threats to their children, womxn, particularly mothers, are at the forefront of local activism (Demyanenko, 2019).