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Summertime Ozone Pollution and You

Release Date: 5/9/2001
Contact Information:
EPA 303-312-6479,

Release Date: 5/9/2001
Contact Information:
EPA 303/312-6603,

Release Date: 5/9/2001
Contact Information:
EPA 800/227-8917
You can help reduce summertime ozone pollution
Ground-level ozone pollution (smog), which thrives on sunny days and high temperatures, is formed when sunlight causes a chemical reaction in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) forming a pollutant that is harmful to our health. Vehicles, local industries and even lawnmowers contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone.

Ground-level ozone pollution should not be confused with the "good" ozone in the upper atmosphere. The earth’s "ozone layer" protects our skin from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. However, here on the ground, ozone pollution in the air can cause breathing problems and infections in the elderly, the young and those with respiratory ailments, such as asthma. Even healthy people exercising or working outdoors can experience breathing problems when exposed to summertime ozone pollution.


Why should we care about ozone pollution?
Exposure to outdoor air pollution, namely smog and particulate matter (soot) is associated with causing asthma attacks. Elevated amounts of ground-level ozone, which occur during summertime in Colorado, can cause lung inflammation – making asthmatics more sensitive to certain allergens that bring on asthma attacks. Children are most susceptible to the effects of ozone because their lungs are still developing and they are likely to participate in vigorous outdoor activities in the summer.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 17 million people in the U.S. have asthma. Each year, 2 million people are rushed to the emergency room suffering from asthma attacks, and 5,000 people die from it annually. If you have a child with asthma, you’re not alone. Childhood asthma in the U.S. has dramatically increased in the last 15 years. About 1 in 13 children suffer from asthma – that’s about 5 million children. In addition, asthma is a leading cause of school absenteeism and childhood hospitalizations.

Other than the respiratory problems that ozone pollution can cause, the Denver metropolitan area is close to violating the national ozone air pollution standard. While the air quality in Denver is improving and we congratulate the Denver Metro Area for its progress, we are far from routinely breathing pristine air. By educating others and ourselves about ground-level ozone and pursuing voluntary efforts to control ozone pollution, EPA and the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) hope to keep Denver’s air clean.


How do I know when there are high ozone levels?
At 4 p.m. daily, during the critical summer months (June 1 - September 15), ozone advisories are issued for the following day. The advisories are posted on both the RAQC’s website (www.raqc.org) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s website at (http://apcd.state.co.us/psi/advisory.html). Most major print and broadcast media also inform their listeners, viewers and readers.


I am just one person. What can I do?
Actually, there’s a lot you can do! Little things each of us can do go a long way toward preventing ozone pollution.

With your vehicle . . . . .
• Use alternative transportation when you can, such as the bus, light rail or a carpool. For short trips, walk or ride your bike.

• Maintain your vehicle. A poorly-maintained, out-of-tune vehicle can pollute as much as 25 times more than a well-maintained one.

• Avoid excessive idling. Idling for as few as 30 seconds can emit more pollution than stopping and re-starting your vehicle.

• Refuel your vehicle after 6 p.m. Since ozone needs sunlight to form, the gasoline vapors that escape when refueling have less of an opportunity to be transformed into harmful ozone.

• Stop at the click! When filling up your vehicle, don’t overfill your tank. Overfilling releases unnecessary pollution into the air.


At Home . . . .
• Avoid using hand-held lawn equipment such as weed trimmers on high ozone days. Since most gasoline-powered lawnmowers and trimmers are not equipped with pollution controls, they can put out a lot more pollution than you might think.

• Replace lawn equipment that was manufactured before 1997. EPA issued regulations requiring 1997-or-newer small spark-ignition equipment (such as lawnmowers) to comply with stringent standards for carbon monoxide, VOC, and NOx emissions. Operating your pre-1997 lawnmower for one hour can emit as much pollution as driving your car from Denver to Aspen and back!

• Avoid using oil-based paints, lacquers or solvents. Use latex paints and water-based solvents and cleaners instead.

• Sign up to receive an e-mail letting you know when an Ozone Action Day Alert has been declared.

Reduce your risk . . . .
• Take some simple steps to minimize exposure to ozone pollution and its effects, such as exercising early in the morning or limiting prolonged vigorous outdoor activities when ozone levels are high. Because ground-level ozone increases during the summer months, participating in outdoor activities when ozone levels are high can increase your risk for respiratory problems.


What else?
We have made great strides in cleaning up air quality in the metro area and reducing outdoor asthma triggers. Yet, there still is much room for improvement. Through national air quality standards, EPA, State and local governments will continue to work to decrease emissions of pollutants like smog and soot. EPA also works to reduce these pollutants through a number of voluntary programs with industry and communities across the country.

For more information about ozone pollution, call Tim Russ, EPA Environmental Scientist, at 303-312-6479, Vaughn Whatley, EPA Public Information Officer, at 303-312-6603, or Laura Hagg Nelson, RAQC Communications Specialist, at 303-629-5450, x220. You also can visit our websites at www.epa.gov , www.epa.gov/region08 , or www.raqc.org.

Note: The RAQC is the lead air quality planning agency for the Denver metropolitan area and involves local governments, state agencies, businesses and citizens in cooperative efforts to improve the region’s air quality.