An article in the Orange County register presents a smoker who is also a smog technician. Compared to the emissions from the tailpipe of a car, the smoker is "a gross polluter." In fact, while cars only emit about 200 micrograms of fine particle mass per mile driven, a smoked cigarette emits about 10,000 micrograms. What does this mean for people riding inside a car with a smoker? You can explore this issue using the simulations available on this website.

As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland, California has passed a law banning outdoor smoking in ATM lines, parks, bus stops, and golf courses.

The city of Belmont, California has passed a law banning smoking inside multi-unit housing. Soon, we at SimSmoke.Org will offer tools to explore exposures caused by leakage or drift of secondhand smoke between apartment or condominium units.

The USEPA has announced the revision of their 24-h National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The 24-h standard for fine particulate matter was reduced from 65 to 35 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³).

This is an important development, because it indicates that the USEPA has reviewed many peer-reviewed studies, and they have found that harm can occur from exposures to fine particles that exceed the new, lower level.

As reported on the KABC website, today the city of Calabasas, California began a strict ban on smoking in public outdoor spaces within 20 feet of places that people congregate.