Photochemical Smog. Originally associated mostly in America with Los Angeles CA, It was the technical name of the type of air pollution that began to choke Southern California by the middle of the twentieth Century. It was produced most significantly from automobile exhaust – the byproduct of airborne hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) produced by internal combustion engines burning gasoline – liquid hydrocarbons.

As early as the beginning of the 1940’s LA residents and surrounding areas were widely suffering from choking, hacking, nausea and burning eyes as well as experiencing visibility as low as three blocks from the seemingly ubiquitous air pollution. The situation became a long-running joke among late-nite TV entertainers.

In 1947 the people of the State of California in a spirit of urban innovation formed the Los Angeles County Air Pollution Control District. This agency was tasked with identifying the causes of air pollution –  then developing, instituting, and enforcing legally binding guidelines and restricted practices & chemicals. The forerunner of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), which was one of seven Air Quality Districts that covered the geographic boundaries of the California borders at that time.

Then, piggybacking on the heels of the sweeping Federal Air Quality Act of 1967, The State of California merged two existing agencies and established the California Air Resources Board (CARB). This new agency was tasked with coordinating the state’s entire strategy and tactical approach to reducing air pollution – Photochemical Smog.

Passing the classification and approval process of SCAQMD however is just the first step in enjoying relatively unfettered access to California markets for hydrocarbons. For this the CARB must also rubber-stamp the SCAQMD findings and guidelines – which it usually does anyway.

What about lighter fluid – liquid hydrocarbons? More on this in future posts.