What do the data from the downtown Santa Barbara station show?
The data from the now-closed toxics monitoring station show a downward trend in levels of toxics, particularly toxics found in vehicle exhaust. From 1990 to 1996, levels of benzene decreased by 76%, and levels of 1,3-butadiene decreased by 50%. There are also downward trends in levels of perchloroethylene (used in dry cleaning) and hexavalent chromium (an industrial pollutant).