Inside today's Fresno Bee, you will find a 24-page special report on air pollution in the San Joaquin Valley.

"Last Gasp" details how this valley has become if not the dirtiest, at least among the three foulest, air basins in the United States. It also examines the lives of people who have suffered, and continue to suffer, from this toxic brew, and looks at ways in which our air might be cleansed. Along the way, it also destroys numerous myths.

The report, which includes 30 stories, 51 photographs and 16 informational graphics, is the largest public service journalism project ever undertaken by this newspaper. For more than 18 months, Bee journalists have researched and reported this story, scouring scores of documents and interviewing scores more people---from scientists, doctors and air quality experts to industry officials and just regular folks.

The purpose of this letter today, however, is not to recognize the work of our journalists. Rather, it's because we know that we are asking much of our readers with such a large volume of material. It is not a report that most can digest in one sitting. That's why we printed it on heavier, brighter, easier-to-read paper, in hopes that you will keep it long enough to read as time permits, if not save it for future reference.

In the end, we hope our readers and other Valley residents will use this special report as a primer, a document to educate ourselves about a public health menace. We also hope that it will provide a common language and source of information for everyone to become engaged in dialogue, debate and action.

After all, it is our air.

Charlie Waters
Executive Editor