Blackout had minimal impact on air quality

The September 8 blackout caused many residents and businesses to resort to generators and led to many households cooking dinner on barbecue grills rather than using microwave ovens or electric stoves or eating at restaurants, but those additional emissions likely had little adverse impact on air quality.

œThere was very little impact, said Mahmood Hossain, the chief of monitoring for the San Diego Air Pollution Control District (APCD).

The blackout started shortly after 3:30 p.m., so by the time generators were activated and dinner was cooked on barbecues the sunlight had been reduced to the...