LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

We Ventura County residents are always quick to note that our air is far cleaner than that of neighboring Los Angeles. I suspect we even feel a little smug about it.

Still, our county exceeds the national health standard for ozone--a major ingredient in photochemical smog--an average of 55 days a year. It fails to meet the more stringent state standards 134 days a year.

Recent research at USC showed exposure to ozone can damage even healthy lungs. Ozone can be even more of a problem for children with still developing lungs, the ill and the elderly.

To help readers keep tabs on ozone, The Times begins running today an air quality report from seven monitoring stations operated by the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District.

Reports will be published Tuesday through Saturday, with a forecast of the day’s ozone levels and actual numbers from the previous day. Reports are unavailable from the district for Sunday and Monday publication, but district spokesmen say they hope to offer those numbers in the future. When they do, we will publish those also.

Today’s county air quality report is on Page B3. Of course, we will continue to bring you complete foreign, national and regional weather information in a full page of data that today is on Page B9.

Julia C. Wilson

Times Ventura County Editor