Tucson, Ariz. – The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality issued an advisory for ground-level ozone air pollution for the Tucson metropolitan area Tuesday.
Individuals who are especially sensitive to air pollution may experience shortness of breath, coughing, throat irritation, wheezing and breathing discomfort.
It’s possible that ozone levels may be elevated Wednesday, too, if weather conditions are similar.
Anyone especially sensitive to ozone may want to limit his or her level of exertion outdoors between noon and 6 p.m. That is when elevated levels of ozone pollution are more likely to occur.
Intense physical outdoor activity causes faster and deeper breathing. That allows ozone to penetrate into the parts of the lungs that are more likely to be injured.
Those most likely to be sensitive to ozone include children, adults who are active outdoors, people with respiratory diseases, and certain individuals who have an unusual sensitivity to this pollutant.
There are many types of emissions that contribute to the creation of ground-level ozone. Motor vehicle exhaust, industrial and power plant emissions, gasoline vapors, chemical solvents and natural sources emit oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds that form ozone in the presence of intense solar radiation.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 at 11:48 am and is filed under Environmental Quality, Health, Pima County, Tucson. Tags for this post: air pollution, air quality, asthma, ozone alert, weather. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.