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All About Ozone |
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Good Up High, Bad Nearby Ozone in the upper atmosphere is a beneficial and protective layer around the earth, but ground-level ozone is harmful air pollution that threatens our health, quality of life, and the Tulsa area's economic prosperity. Ground-level ozone is created when sunlight reacts with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOX). Reducing these emissions is necessary to reduce ground-level ozone formation. The Tulsa area was designated an attainment area for ozone in 1990 after nearly 20 years of non-attainment designation. Only a year later the The OZONE ALERT! program takes a voluntary, episodic approach to ozone pollution reduction. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), in collaboration with the National Weather Service and the EPA uses computer modeled predictors to determine when high ground-ozone levels may occur. OZONE ALERT! days typically occur from May through September on days with high temperatures, minimal cloud cover and light winds. DEQ notifies INCOG and the Tulsa area kicks into 'Ozone Action'. The Alert! word is spread though this website, website wigets, E-Alert! notices, Text Alerts, and various other communications methods. Governments, businesses, industries and individuals are urged to take voluntary action to reduce emissions on Ozone Alert! days. The Clean Air Act gives the EPA authority to establish national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). In the Tulsa metropolitan area, the pollutant of concern is ozone. As of now, the Tulsa area and the state of Oklahoma remain in attainment (not on the EPA's 'Dirty Air List') of the NAAQS. The ozone standard provides increased protection to the public, especially children and other at-risk populations, against a wide range of ozone induced health effects. It is an 8-hour averaged standard and is calculated by averaging data over a 3-year time period. This average is taken from the 4th highest 8-hour average at each monitoring station. (The OzoneAlert.com homepage shows the location of the five monitoring stations in the Tulsa area.) A violation occurs when the 3-year average of the 4th highest value is greater than .075 parts per million (ppm). Areas not meeting the standard are not automatically designated non-attainment, rather an official course of action must occur. Specific requirements on how areas will meet the 8-hr standard are developed. All Oklahoma counties are currently in attainment. Local, national and even international TV meteorologists report an Air Quality Index. This index provides an easy-to-understand way to explain the quality of the air. Anything below a 100 Air Quality Index (AQI) is considered 'healthy' and an AQI above 100 is considered 'unhealthy for certain groups'. The ozone AQI is based on the 8-hr standard. When the summer AQI is above 100, it is an indication of an ozone exceedance day, a day when ground-level ozone was above the standard. Ozone exposure may lead to:
Long-term, repeated exposure to high levels of ozone may lead to reductions in lung function, inflammation of the lung lining, and increased respiratory discomfort. The U.S. EPA estimates that 5 to 20 percent of the total U.S. population has a susceptibility to the harmful effects of ozone air pollution. In the Tulsa area, statistic show that nearly 25% of all households may have someone with a breathing problem. Tulsa Area Ozone Trends Click to enlarge...
 Click here to view a glossary of ozone and pollution-related terms. EPA - "Heat, Health & Environment" |
area exceeded the ozone standard. This led the INCOG Air Quality Committee to develop the OZONE ALERT! program. The goal of the program is to maintain Tulsa's attainment status for ozone thereby ensuring healthy air.
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