Utah officials launch a new ozone warning system

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 1, 2005 by Joe Bauman Deseret Morning News

Winter or summer, the air can be bad along the Wasatch Front.

It's not enough that you've got to worry about green, yellow or red air-quality ratings for particulate pollution during the winter. Now a similar warning system is in place for ozone levels during the summer.

Ozone is an oxygen molecule that combines three atoms, rather than the typical two atoms in free oxygen. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, it results from reactions of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, such as the pollution released by auto exhaust or fumes drifting into the air from pumping gas. In the presence of sunlight, these compounds can form ozone.

High in the atmosphere, ozone also occurs naturally. The ozone layer protects life from too much harmful solar radiation. But at ground level, human-caused ozone is a dangerous pollutant that can damage lungs.

"No one is immune from these effects," said Dr. Eric Wood, associate occupational medicine residency director at the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Wood and Rick Sprott, director of the Utah Division of Air Quality, spoke Tuesday at a press conference on the lawn of Primary Children's Medical Center, 100 N. Medical Drive.

Sprott said he was announcing "the beginning of our ozone season and also a new program we have to help reduce the level of ozone here on the Wasatch Front."

The ozone season is here because, with the turn of the seasons, the sunlight is more intense and can more readily cause the formation of the invisible gas.

The system is similar to the color-code program in effect during the winter to reduce dangerous particulate pollution. Green represents clean air; yellow, the air quality is deteriorating; red, it's so bad that it's within 10 to 20 percent or so of the concentration the EPA says could impact health.

Even on green days, when air quality is good, residents are encouraged to make choices to keep air pollution low, according to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. Actions to reduce the flow of air pollution from vehicles, lawn mowers or fuel-powered saws could help.

When the DEQ declares a yellow alert, says a department press release, "Residents are encouraged to be proactive by parking their vehicles when possible and taking other steps" to protect air quality.

" 'Red' means that pollution levels are high and it is an 'air quality action day,' " the release adds. "It is critical that residents be extra vigilant by parking their vehicles, using mass transit, car-pooling, finding other ways of getting around and taking other actions" to improve air quality.

Unlike the enforcement of particulate regulations, no ticketing was announced for homeowners who don't go along with "red day" recommendations to protect the atmosphere from ozone.

But reducing ozone is in one's self-interest, as it can irritate the lungs. Wood said the damage is similar to a sunburn inside the lungs because the damaged tissue is quickly replaced by new tissue. But when it happens repeatedly, the lungs can lose elasticity, leading to problems.

Coughing, throat irritation and an uncomfortable feeling in the chest can result, according to the DEQ. Ozone may lower a person's resistance to colds and pneumonia.

The youngest and oldest in the population are particularly sensitive to ozone damage, as are people with respiratory diseases. It can make people more likely to suffer asthma.

But even for healthy people, Wood said, if lungs are repeatedly damaged by ozone, it can cause a loss of lung elasticity and other damage.

People can reduce their exposure by staying inside on red days between 2-8 p.m., when levels are highest.

"This new system has great potential," Wood said.

Ozone warnings will be sent to the media. Anyone interested also can log onto the DEQ Web site to get an ozone update for counties along the Wasatch Front. The site is at www.airquality.utah.gov.

In addition, the DEQ has an e-mail service providing air quality bulletins. Anyone with e-mail can sign up at the same URL.

E-mail: bau@desnews.com