SOUTHLAND – (INT) – Some people are not breathing too deeply and there’s good reason for it.

Air quality in the Los Angeles Basin this summer is similar to last year which was the worst since 2008.

Sam Atwood at the AQMD says the number of days over the federal 8-hour ozone standard is mounting up.

“We’ve had 52 compared to this date last year. By the end of the season, we’ll probably have over 100 days of unhealthy air quality. There’s a lot of work that remains to be done.”

But in the longer term, “Over the next 10-15 years, we’ll see steady progress due to efforts already made. We will see continue improvement in air quality toward meeting the federal air quality health standards,” Atwood said.

The heaviest concentrations of bad air this summer have been in the mountain communities around Crestline, Redlands, San Bernardino, Riverside and the Beaumont-Banning area.

Story Date: August 8, 2013