Health Effects of Air Pollution This page last reviewed April
22, 2010 Air pollution continues to be an important public
health concern. A number of air pollutants, coming out of a
variety of industrial processes, impact the health of California
residents. Air monitoring shows that over 90 percent of
Californians breathe unhealthy levels of one or more air
pollutants during some part of the year. The California Air
Resources Board (ARB) establishes health-based ambient air
quality standards to identify outdoor pollutant levels that are
considered safe for the public - including those individuals
most sensitive to the effects of air pollution, such as children
and the elderly. The ARB has set standards for eight
"traditional" pollutants, such as ozone and particulate matter.
In addition to setting standards, the ARB identifies other air
pollutants as toxic air contaminants (TACs) - pollutants that
may cause serious, long-term effects, such as cancer, even at
low levels. Most air toxics have no known safe level