Fighting for air

Interactive report

Get a close look at the Valley's air-quality problem with audio, video, animations, and an interactive quiz and game. You also can check the smog-test results of any California vehicle or light truck.

Listen to Bee staff

In a podcast, the reporters on the "Fighting for Air" special section discuss the pollution challenge facing the Valley.

Stories

• Introduction: Fighting for air
• State smog test leaves polluters on the road
• Stiffer rules could speed cleanup
• Fleeing Valley's unhealthy air
• Trapped by the Valley's air
• Fresno is state's asthma capital
• Researchers looking for answers
• Farmers join clear-air fight
• Innovations for diesel vehicles stalled
• Stringent state rules still lack bite
• What has changed in five years?
• Valley air district defends improvement plan
• District's ozone strategy could backfire
• Air officials to explore drift of LA basin pollution
• Clean air can happen
• Who is on the Valley air board?
• Contacts, links to air-quality information

Escaping smog

These families and people have left the Valley, blaming health problems caused by air pollution.

• Bob Claypool
• Patricia Jennings
• The Julin family
• The Morphy family
• Catherine M. Rehart
• The Schwister family
• The Shaw family
• The Storm family
• The Terry family
• The Whipple family
• The Wiseman family

Graphics

• Play the Smogbusters board game
• Geography makes things worse
• Clearing the air: Progress and prognosis
• The worst places to breathe

ESCAPING SMOG: The Schwister family

Background: Michele Schwister, 46, was a 16-year pediatric intensive care nurse at Children's Hospital Central California in Madera County. Her husband, Brad, 47, worked for a Fresno catering service.

Why they left: The Schwisters began looking for jobs outside the San Joaquin Valley when a doctor told them their daughter Morgan's wheezing and coughing were symptoms of asthma. Before the move, Michele found herself curtailing Morgan's outdoor activities.

Now: Michele and Brad took pay cuts two years ago to move to Meridian, Idaho, near Boise. Seven-year-old Morgan's health has improved. Said Brad: "She hasn't had any symptoms -- she has no wheezing or any of that stuff anymore."

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