June 13, 2016 — If you live in the Atlanta area or another large city in the Southeast, you may have noticed an alarming number of “code orange” air quality index alerts recently and wondered what’s going on. Summer is prime time for ozone pollution (smog) because it is created when chemicals from vehicles, power plants, and factories react with sunlight. Ground-level ozone is the most widespread pollutant in the U.S. and it is linked to a long list of health problems. Because their lungs are still developing and because they are so active, all children are especially vulnerable to harm from ozone pollution.
So far this year, the Atlanta area has had 11 days with observed ozone levels higher than allowed by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The same area had only seven exceedances in all of 2015 and ten in 2014. What’s behind the dramatic increase?
One cause is that the Environmental Protection Agency updated the ozone standard in late 2015. The standard was changed from 75 parts per billion to 70 parts per billion to better protect public health. If the standard had not been updated, the Atlanta area would have had only eight alerts so far this year. (Note that the air would have still been unhealthy, even without the alerts.)
Another reason has to do with climate change. Global temperatures are on the rise, with 2016 on track to beat 2015 as the hottest year on record. Because ozone production occurs more rapidly at higher temperatures, we can expect additional ozone to form as the planet continues to warm. This is one of the many factors that make climate change a threat to public health.
Mothers & Others for Clean Air is committed to advancing solutions to ozone pollution and climate change. We invite you to:
- Learn how to protect your family from ozone pollution
- Plan to modify your activity schedule on smog alert days
- Advocate for cleaner air, especially by joining our rapid response team
