You can tell summer is here; yesterday was one of the first “Code Orange” air quality alert days of the season for the Birmingham metro and is in effect today as well. That means air quality is expected to be “unhealthy for sensitive groups” of people, like those with asthma. Ground level ozone is the culprit, and is an issue on many hot summer days in Birmingham.
Ozone is a gas composed of three atoms of oxygen. Ozone occurs both in the Earth's upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be good or bad, depending on where it is found:
*Good Ozone. Ozone occurs naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere-6 to 30 miles above the Earth's surface-where it forms a protective layer that shields us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. This beneficial ozone is gradually being destroyed by manmade chemicals. An area where the protective "ozone layer" has been significantly depleted-for example, over the North or South pole-is sometimes called "the ozone hole."
*Bad Ozone. In the Earth's lower atmosphere, near ground level, ozone is formed when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources react chemically in the presence of sunlight. Ozone at ground level is a harmful air pollutant. This ground level ozone can irritate your respiratory system, reduce lung function, aggravate asthma, and inflate and damage cells that line your lungs. Your chances of being affected by ozone increase the longer you are active outdoors and the more strenuous the activity you engage in.
We will always let you know when air quality alerts are in effect!
Ozone is a gas composed of three atoms of oxygen. Ozone occurs both in the Earth's upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be good or bad, depending on where it is found:
*Good Ozone. Ozone occurs naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere-6 to 30 miles above the Earth's surface-where it forms a protective layer that shields us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. This beneficial ozone is gradually being destroyed by manmade chemicals. An area where the protective "ozone layer" has been significantly depleted-for example, over the North or South pole-is sometimes called "the ozone hole."
*Bad Ozone. In the Earth's lower atmosphere, near ground level, ozone is formed when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources react chemically in the presence of sunlight. Ozone at ground level is a harmful air pollutant. This ground level ozone can irritate your respiratory system, reduce lung function, aggravate asthma, and inflate and damage cells that line your lungs. Your chances of being affected by ozone increase the longer you are active outdoors and the more strenuous the activity you engage in.
We will always let you know when air quality alerts are in effect!
on June 16, 2006, 8:02 am
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