Center for Clean Air

89.3 KPCC discussed a  UCLA study authored by IoES faculty member Suzanne Paulson and affiliated faculty J.R. DeShazo that found moving bus stops further from vehicle stops and accelerations at intersections can help decrease the amount of inhaled pollution (unregulated by the EPA) almost by half. 

Los Angeles is the poster child for a city that has worked hard to dramatically reduce its air pollution levels. Over the past 50 years, most pollution levels are down more than 75 percent compared to their highs, and that’s despite massive population and economic growth, according to Paulson. 'No other city comes close,' she said. Los Angeles saw tremendous economic development over the past century. But as more people moved in, the city’s blanket of smog grew thicker and thicker. The main culprits were, and still are, vehicle emissions, fumes from industrial plants and the city’s proximity to two of the country’s largest ports.

Suzanne Paulson, Santa Monica Airport Commissioner and UCLA professor, is asking for permission from the City of Santa Monica to conduct a study on the change in pollution levels before and after the Santa Monica Airport closes temporarily. Read more about why how this study could benefit the residents in this Santa Monica Lookout article.

Yifang Zhu, professor of environmental health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, says there are steps we can take to protect ourselves and our families from air pollution, which has well-documented negative consequences for childhood asthma, birth outcomes, pregnancy risks, cardiovascular health, and other diseases.

FSPH Environmental Health Sciences associate professor Dr. Yifang Zhu shares with NBCNews.com her insight on a study about the cumulative pollutive effects of gas station spills.