Oorgo

Ground level Ozone : not your backyard friend

So it turns out that a study done recently found that ground-level ozone is unsafe even at low levels. This is particularly of concern to me because both I and my wife suffer from asthma, along with An estimated 2.5 million Canadians and 12% of children in Canada.

The study, sponsored by the EPA and the Centers for Disease Control, and performed by Yale University and Johns Hopkins, found that if a safe level for ozone exists, it is only at very low or natural levels and far below current US and international regulations. A 10 part-per-billion increase in the average of the two previous days’ ozone levels is associated with a 0.30 percent increase in mortality.

Also of concern to me is the fact that 95% of the time I check the Air quality websites for Alberta the main pollutant is Ozone. It's no wonder Alberta is right up there in the top numbers in population in Canada that are afflicted with asthma. Here's a screenshot from weather.ca from yesterday.

....ground-level ozone is different. It's found close to Earth's surface and is a serious pollutant. It's produced when sunlight combines and reacts with chemicals produced by cars, power plants, and factories.

Ozone has long been known as a pollutant and dangerous at higher levels but the finding that at any level above what's found in nature increases human mortality is just... scary.

Posted by Oorgo at February 16, 2006 01:25 PM Permalink - Category: Environment | TrackBack