A new study from UCLA provides critical insights into how the January 2025 Eaton fire impacted air quality downwind of the fires, highlighting how levels of airborne toxic contaminants spiked and then dissipated as the burning died down.
UCLA professor and air-quality expert Suzanne Paulson answers questions about how to more confidently determine your local air quality, whether to mask outdoors and if the air is safe in Southern California.
But that’s not the whole story. The traffic corridors that run through disadvantaged areas to spread those clean-air benefits remain a source of heavy pollution from gas-powered vehicles. The study…
Levels and sources of contamination vary by location, UCLA-led study finds
News
Prof. Paulson, director of Center for Clean Air, appeared on KCRW's wildfire panel on Jan 15 regarding immediate and long-term health considerations for families and individuals returning to homes within the immediate vicinity of the fires and everyone coping with the recovery.
Pollution at street level is worst with buildings in tight rows, UCLA study finds
Air pollution from the California wildfires is spreading across the state, with hazardous levels being recorded in many regions. In several areas the Air Quality Index showed regions where pollution…
A decrease in Southern California traffic led to decreases in microscopic air pollutants known as fine particulate matter, or PM 2.5. This contributed to a 20% improvement in air quality…
“Los Angeles used to be nearly as polluted as Beijing is today,” said Yifang Zhu, co-lead author of the study and professor of environmental health sciences at the Fielding School.…
As a technology, air purifiers land somewhere between legitimate health device and dubious wellness product. Many health researchers suggest that certain purifiers can reduce harmful airborne pollutants. “I recommend that…
“We’re expecting to see more and bigger wildfires if the climate continues in its current path,” said Yifang Zhu, environmental health sciences professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.…
Experts say there are simpler ways to help fix climate change, particularly using less energy from fossil fuels. Suzanne Paulson, director at UCLA’s Center for Clean Air, said although much…
“Our geography is perfect for forming ozone, and that’s what makes it such an intractable problem,” said Suzanne Paulson, a professor of atmospheric chemistry who directs the Center for Clean…
Cars clog the freeways day and night, causing a grayish-brown haze that can be seen for miles. But the dirty air doesn’t stop there. According to Yifang Zhu, a professor…
Yifang Zhu is the Center for Clean Air Associate Director and a professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. In this Washington Post article, Zhu talks about the environmental impact of…
On the popularity of brief Uber and Lyft rides around campus Yifang Zhu, associate director of the Center for Clean Air and an environmental health sciences professor said, “Even though…