When air quality is unsafe in an area, usually a “bad air day” will be declared, and residents with weakened breathing capacities such as those with asthma or the elderly are advised to be outdoors as little as possible. Being from Maryland, personally myself and a lot of my classmates have never experienced air quality this bad. Unfortunately for some areas of California, these air quality advisory days are becoming the norm. Los Angeles was named the “smoggiest” city in the United States by researchers at the American Lung Association. Not only does this keep some people from leaving their homes, but when people with healthy lungs who can breathe sufficiently on their own are exposed to these levels of air pollution for so long, they can experience health complications. In residents of these areas, a direct relation to the smog can be found for increases in premature deaths because of lung problems and lung cancer. This also disproportionately affects those in lower socioeconomic classes in a few ways. Some who cannot afford to miss a day of work will risk their health to go to work or possibly work outside in these conditions. Others, such as the homeless, may not have an indoor area where they can escape the air pollution for long amounts of time. This then causes those in poverty to develop problems for which they need medical attention that they cannot afford. 

Reference: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/24/air-pollution-smog-soot-worst-california/3551734002/

Citation for Reference:

Rice, Doyle. “Bad Air Days on the Rise: The Nation's Most Polluted City Is ...” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 24 Apr. 2019, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/24/air-pollution-smog-soot-worst-california/3551734002/.