After 18,000 air samples from all around southern California, measurements indicate that the cancer risk due to air pollution is down 15 percent. While that's a considerable decline, the current levels are still dangerously high. The two year study concluded that areas around Los Angeles and Long Beach contained some of the dirtiest air in the nation.

Want to hear a scary number? Estimates say that if SoCal residents live to be 70 years old, then 1,200 out of every one million people will get cancer. This is due to toxic air. But don't panic, estimates need to be taken with a grain of salt. Scientists have to put a number on everything, and while the air is certainly in need of quality control, you shouldn't evacuate.

Authorities say the current levels are unacceptable, but how do you combat this sort of problem? Regulations concerning gas and diesel fuels could be considered. And of course, the "green" movement towards cleaner automobiles is another way to lend a helping hand. This is not an isolated problem, however, and it won't go away until we learn to be better stewards of our environment.