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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT County Achieves an Air Quality MilestoneSANTA BARBARA, CA —Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) announced today that county air has met the state one-hour standard for ground-level ozone, a principal component of smog, based on 2004-2006 data. County air does not meet the state eight-hour standard for ozone, a more health-protective standard based on an eight-hour average ozone level, but does meet the federal ozone standard. “This is an important milestone on the road to clean air,” said APCD Director Terry Dressler. Ozone levels have been going down over the past decade in the county. Dressler attributed the improvement to: cleaner cars and gasoline; improving air quality in neighboring areas; efforts by businesses to reduce industrial pollution; and favorable weather patterns. He added, “We can expect some bumps in the road. Summer is smog season and we have already seen some higher ozone levels this year. We have to stay vigilant, and continue the efforts that got us this far.” For more information on APCD's air monitoring network, see Monitoring Air Quality. To see current data, go to Station Data. ###
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