Los Angeles air quality improves from wildfires' hazardous levels

By Tim McLaughlin

(Reuters) - Air quality in wildfire-stricken Los Angeles improved on Thursday from hazardous peaks hit earlier this month, as tiny soot particles that can penetrate the lungs and brain dropped to moderate levels, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's latest data.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT:

Smoke from several wildfires in metro Los Angeles negatively affects the air quality of a population of about 18 million people.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Air quality in Los Angeles was at "moderate" levels on Thursday morning, as judged by the EPA's Air Quality Index rating system. Moderate air quality is between 51 and 100, or in the yellow band of the AQI scale. Air quality in the moderate range can still be risky for people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.

On Jan. 8, however, the average daily AQI score was 189, which signifies "unhealthy" air for sensitive groups, such as asthmatics, and some segments of the general population. Early that day, hourly pollution levels registered above 500 on the AQI, posing a "hazardous" health risk to the general population.

(Reporting by Tim McLaughlin; Editing by Nia Williams)