The Air We Breathe
Final Feature — Nature Writing
When Los Angeles residents walk out of their houses on a foggy day, they go on as if it's any other day. One may say it’s a familiar sight to see when the air hits their face, and a slight cough leaves their body. The mountains disappear, and the gray subtly hides the city they call home. And the biggest question: what is covering the mountains? Fog or smog? So, the weather that everyday civilians experience isn’t always a hazy day; it's the air they actively breathe in and out as their lungs inflate and deflate. Every day, millions across Los Angeles inhale mixes of pollutants from cars, exhaust, heat, and even wildfire residue.
For decades, Los Angeles has struggled with some of the worst pollution in America. A 2020 study in Atmospheric Pollution Research explains that pollutants are trapped in the L.A basin. Researchers found that millions of vehicles and industrial emissions create dangerous levels of particulate matter throughout the central region. However, the study also notes that Los Angeles had made significant progress in reducing pollution levels since 2005. Throughout each decade, reducing vehicle emissions and creating environmental policies reduced several of these strong pollutants. At the same time, some environmental researchers in 2026 are warning civilians that the nation could move backward on air quality, as federal policies are increasingly focused on expanding oil production. Critics fear this could weaken environmental protection in Los Angeles and the greater area.
“We breathe in a complex mix of particulates and gases in our air every day,” said Robert Welsh, assistant professor of environmental science at Loyola Marymount University. “Where those pollutants are generated and where they go determines who experiences the worst effects.” The Los Angeles Times reports that California is home to five of the country’s 10 smoggiest places, as defined by ozone pollution levels: Los Angeles, Visalia, Bakersfield, Fresno, and San Diego. Since the mass adoption of automobiles, millions of cars and trucks in California's sunny regions release exhaust, forming smog. Additionally, the mountain regions of California restrict airflow, making it even more difficult to prevent automobile exhaust from dispersing. And although electric and hybrid vehicles have significantly reduced pollution, transportation remains one of California’s largest sources of pollution in major cities. Cargo ships and trains are among the biggest contributors to regional pollution as well.
Air Pollution Hits Low-Income L.A community's The Hardest, Studies show
In the backyards of Central Los Angeles, children play on swing sets or run through their neighborhoods. For many parents, the usual worries consist of scraped knees. But now, those worries are joined by what is less visible: the air their children are breathing and the pollutants they never chose to inhale. Professor Welch says geography makes the problem worse. “It is not just where pollution is created,” he said. “It is about where it often goes; we have sea breezes that push pollution inland, so areas farther from the coast often end up experiencing higher concentrations.”
A UCLA-led study conducted by David Colgan in 2022 found that air from census tracts in communities with the most socioeconomic disadvantages not only contained higher levels of pollutants but was also more toxic than air from other parts of the city. Researchers collected air samples at 54 locations over 2 weeks to determine PM2.5 levels. PM2.5 is fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers, while PM10 is a larger particle often linked to dust and roadway pollution. PM2.5 particles are so small that they can travel deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, making them dangerous to human health.
Another key finding from UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute is that Latino neighborhoods in California experience 1.3 times more exposure to fine particulate matter and 2.7 times more exposure to diesel particulate matter than white neighborhoods, according to a 2017 study. Latino neighborhoods were exposed to the produced PM2.5, which increased the risk of lung and heart disease in small children. These residents experienced an average of over 66 emergency department visits for asthma, according to UCLA’s findings. Families living near polluted areas are exposed to chemicals linked to cancer, low birth weight, and even chronic illnesses.
For Dr. Cheryl Charles, a physician at Cedars-Sinai, these statistics are part of her everyday practice. “In the short term, patients can experience acute shortness of breath, asthma attacks, increased bronchitis, ER visits for lung and heart disease, decreased cognition, headaches, poor mental health, including related to climate anxiety,” she said. Across Los Angeles, many of these affected communities are located near pollution sources such as hazardous waste facilities, chemical plants, and cleanup sites, containing lead and asbestos, where children and at-risk patients are often exposed, and left to fend for themselves when it comes to the air around them.
A Different Kind of Pollution
Though pollutants are not always from traffic exhaust or PM2.5, in 2025 residents of Pacific Palisades and Altadena-Pasadena faced pollution and air quality they had never seen before after their communities were burned to the ground. The air quality remained unstable for months, increasing Los Angeles’s pollution crisis. In a study conducted at UC Davis, researchers aimed to evaluate which pollutants were present, at what levels, and where, to assess their impacts on residents and Angelenos. Potential risk factors began to manifest as acute respiratory symptoms, immune system disruption, and increased cancer risk, among others. This study examined where the pollutants causing these issues were present and whether the fires were associated with chronic health issues among nearby populations. Dr. Charles had also explained that, unlike typical urban air pollutants, wildfires produce particles from burning vegetation and synthetic materials. She tells us, “Wildfire smoke creates a particularly harmful mix. It is not just regular air pollution. It includes materials that are more reactive and more dangerous when inhaled.”
The Fight To Fix This: What the city is doing now
Although pollution may never go away, our city is actively trying to improve air quality and address socioeconomic divisions throughout L.A., in hopes of giving residents a brighter future. In neighborhoods where freeways cut through residents' streets and backyards are filled with lingering emissions, scientists and local organizations are developing solutions for a cleaner city. Los Angeles County is continually expanding and improving public transportation, while also making it accessible to all residents. ACT News reported that one solution to cleaner air in Los Angeles County is the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) 's environmentally friendly steps to improve public health while using renewable energy. The Metro is home to one of the largest fleets of compressed natural gas buses, and its Orange Line bus is fully electric.
But some of the most meaningful work is happening directly within neighborhoods that need it the most. In South Central Los Angeles, local organizations are developing grassroots solutions to pollution and extreme urban heat. A community science project launched in February 2021, led by Grey4Green and researchers, is studying how urban greenery, trees, and even passion fruit vines can reduce thermal heat. According to their project's description, communities sit alongside the Alameda Corridor and several other freeways, exposing residents to high levels of pollution while conducting research. This is one of many projects in Los Angeles aimed at rebuilding community well-being. The primary objective of Grey4Green is to engage the local community in developing low-cost mitigation solutions for PM2.5/10. Creating low-cost, repeatable solutions that allow residents to participate themselves is one of many projects working toward a better tomorrow.
What this means for you
Beyond policy changes and research, many residents of Los Angeles can cultivate conversations that are not limited to just policymakers and scientists. These conversations can now happen in classrooms and households across the Basin. Amid concerns about wildfire smoke and even the visible haze covering the mountains, pollution is a part of everyday life for many residents. These concerns raise awareness that communities across the city can advocate for their own families, health, and futures. These conversations create a stronger sense of environmental accountability, something Dr. Charles tells all patients to practice: “Patients can check their Air quality like you can check our weather,” she says.
So, although Los Angeles may never escape pollution and its crisis across city lines, the city's progress over the last several decades has proven that change can be possible. Beneath the skyline, hidden by smog, is often a reminder that air pollution doesn’t have to be an environmental issue but a personal one. The air we breathe affects our health, our neighborhoods, and future generations. As the city continues to find solutions, the fight for cleaner air remains one of its most urgent calls.
