What to do on Ozone Alert Days
Ozone Alert means ozone action
Ozone Alert days are days when ozone concentrations are expected to reach unhealthy levels. Since more than half of the emissions that form ground level ozone come from everyday people doing everyday things, YOU have the power to reduce ozone pollution.
On an Ozone Alert day:
- Cut back on or reschedule strenuous outside activities. Stay indoors in a well-ventilated or air-conditioned building. If you must be active outdoors, try to schedule activity before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m.
- Drive less. Combine errands and put off less-necessary trips for a cooler day, carpool, or use public transit. Better yet, take a leisurely walk or bike ride, preferably early in the morning or later in the evening.
- Avoid fueling. Simply filling your vehicle with gasoline can lead to pollution as fumes escape and tiny drips and spills occur, and gas vapors react with heat and sunlight to form ozone. If you must fill your tank, do so after dusk. And be sure to avoid “topping off” your tank.
- Mow later. Lawn and garden equipment is responsible for an estimated 9 percent of the Kansas City area’s ozone-forming emissions. Postpone yard work that involves power equipment until the Ozone Alert is over.
Taking action on Ozone Alert days will help protect your family's health and help reduce peaks in ozone concentrations.
Join the tens of thousands of Kansas City-area residents whose efforts are already substantially reducing ozone forming emissions.