On local television news last night, I heard a report that said the San Joaquin Valley now has eight unhealthy days this summer. That's different from my count, and it may be confusing to folks.

Things are worse than eight unhealthy days this summer.

Since the first full day of summer -- June 21 -- there has been an exceedance of either the state or federal ozone standard every day, except on the Fourth of July. I count 18 unhealthy ozone days.

Now, if you start the count in March -- the start of spring -- there have been 58 bad days, according to the state ozone standard. There have been 30 bad ones, according to the federal standard.

I don't know where the TV reporter got the number eight. The regional air district Web site says there have been eight violations of the old federal one-hour standard -- a defunct standard. EPA enforces the daylong or eight-hour standard now.

Or, the TV report might refer to the number of days since June 21 when the air quality index was above 150, which means the air is unhealthy for adults with no lung problems. The index is important for determining your outdoor activities from day to day.

But if you're looking for reality, check the monitor readings. I'll give you more perspective about the monitor readings in future blogs.