Air Pollution One of the most dangerous environmental problems facing Southern California today is air pollution. This includes the use of fossil fuels and natural disasters. Los Angeles is one of the most polluted cities in the world and the most polluted city in the United States. I will look for information on the causes, effects and history of air pollution in Los Angeles. For my research I mainly relied on the school's database and library, as well as current events. History: Air pollution is not something new; in fact, air pollution has been documented as early as the 16th century. During the industrial revolution, the sight of smoke coming out of factories was a sign of prosperity. This might have been prosperity economically, but as we can see now, environmentally it was not prosperous at all. The Beast Attacks London: During the winter of 1952-1953, London came face to face with dealing with “the heaviest episode of winter smog known to man.” (Environmental disasters) In the previous weeks London had also experienced colder than usual weather. Because of the cold climate, families burned more charcoal to keep warm. This caused “further coal burning and many people traveled only by car, which caused a combination of black soot, sticky tar particles and sulfur dioxide gas to form.” (Environmental disasters) During this event the number of deaths per day increased up to nine times the normal number in some cities. The smog killed around 12,000 people. Most of the victims were children and elderly people. This was a severe blow not only to England but to the world. After that event, it was obvious that… halfway through the document… 2014, from http://www.businessinsider.com/china-pollution-is-blanketing-americas-west-coast- 2014-1Serna, J. (2014, May 16). San Diego County fires send smoky air across Southern California. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 21, 2014, from http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-la-san-diego-fire-smoke-20140516-story.htmlSechrist, D. (2009). Air pollution. Tarrytown, NY: Benchmark Marshall Cavendish. South Coast Air Quality Management District (California). (1997). Southland's war on smog. Diamond Bar, California: South Coast Air Quality Management District.Verdnik, J. (2014, May 6). Air pollution is killing millions of people. Voice of the Guardian of Freedom. Retrieved May 21, 2014, from http://guardianlv.com/2014/05/air-pollution-is-killing-millions/Withgott, J., & Laposata, M. (2012). Essential environment: the science behind the stories. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.