Air quality worsens in parts of San Diego County

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — As San Diego County continues to face sweltering temperatures Monday, changes in air quality were also recorded.

As of Monday morning, some areas in North County reported conditions as unhealthy for sensitive groups, including Encinitas where the air quality index reached 107 around 5 a.m. before dropping back to a moderate level of 79 around 7 a.m., according to AirNow.

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Similarly, San Diego proper also reached unhealthy for sensitive groups at 5 a.m. with an AQI of 107. It dropped down to moderate levels at 7 a.m. when the AQI was 79.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, an AQI value between 101 and 150 is unhealthy for sensitive groups and may cause eye and throat irritation, coughing or aggravated asthma.

Meanwhile, some parts of East County were in the moderate levels Monday morning. El Cajon reported moderate AQIs all morning until it reached 115 at noon. In the South Bay, Imperial Beach also reached the unhealthy for sensitive groups level, reporting an AQI of 106 at 8 a.m. that went up to 112 an hour later at 9 a.m.

According to IQAir, air pollution rises along with extreme heat. Experts say heat acts as a “chemical catalyst” for ozone, a pollutant that results from nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds mixed with sunlight and oxygen.

When inhaled, ozone can have harmful effects on people’s health, especially older adults, children, those with asthma and workers who spend a lot of time outdoors.

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