Ozone Alert issued for Friday, June 29

SkyCast forecasts poor air quality for tomorrow

The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) Air Quality Program has issued an orange Ozone Alert for Friday, June 29. This alert indicates that an unhealthy level of ground-level ozone, also known as smog, is expected tomorrow in the Kansas City region.

More than half of all emissions that lead to ozone pollution are caused by residents’ everyday activities, such as driving. There are five simple actions everyone can take to help reduce pollution from driving on Ozone Alert days:

1. CARPOOL Contact friends or co-workers and share a ride to work, to the store or other appointments. MARC’s RideShare program provides free carpool matching through its RideShare Connection service. Visit www.marc.org/rideshare to learn more or sign up.
2. TAKE THE BUS Municipal bus fares on all regular routes are reduced to $.75 cents on Ozone Alert days. Use Google Transit, www.google.com/transit , to plan your trip; check www.kcata.org or www.thejo.com to view routes and schedules; or call the Regional Call Center at (816) 221-0660 for transit information.
3. BIKE OR WALK Take a no-emissions approach to travel by biking or walking for short trips. Try to schedule walking and biking trips before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m., and avoid prolonged exposure to outdoor air. Ozone pollution may cause chest pains, coughing, nausea, throat irritation and difficulty breathing even in healthy adults.
4. PRACTICE TRIP CHAINING Multiple car trips equal more ozone-forming emissions. Practice trip chaining and group several errands into one outing.
5. POSTPONE REFUELING YOUR VEHICLE Refueling vehicles can release harmful fumes into the air. If you must fill up, do so after 7 p.m. and stop when the pump clicks. Over-filling the tank releases more harmful gases into the air, and can result in spills or harm to your vehicle.

MARC issues the SkyCast, the region’s daily ozone season air quality forecast, on its website ( www.marc.org ) and on Twitter ( www.twitter.com/airQKC ). SkyCast information is also available via the air quality information line, (913) 383-7557, and many area media outlets.