News Release

For Immediate Release: July 17, 2006

Red Ozone Alert! issued for Kansas City region for tomorrow

An Ozone Alert! has been issued for the Kansas City metropolitan area for Tuesday, July 18. This alert indicates that the hot, sunny weather conditions forecast for tomorrow are creating a risk for high ozone pollution levels and unhealthy air quality in the region. Ozone concentrations are expected to be in the RED “UNHEALTHY,” category tomorrow. This is the first RED Ozone Alert that has been issued by Mid-America Regional Council since the region first adopted a four-color air pollution warning system in 2000. All area residents – even healthy adults – should limit exposure to outdoor air.

Ozone:  Summer’s invisible health threat

One of Greater Kansas City’s most significant summer health threats is totally invisible, completely colorless and odorless. The danger is ground-level ozone, which can lead to adverse health effects for people and damage to the environment. Ozone is formed when pollutants such as emissions from cars and factories, as well as vapors from gasoline and chemical solvents, are chemically transformed in heat and sunlight.

Exposure to ozone pollution can be particularly hazardous to those with asthma or other respiratory ailments. Children and the elderly are also particularly affected. But ozone pollution can also cause a variety of symptoms even in healthy people, including shortness of breath, chest pains when inhaling deeply, wheezing and coughing, and throat irritation. Prolonged exposure can damage lung tissue, aggravate respiratory disease and cause people to be more susceptible to respiratory infection.

Although the Kansas City metropolitan area has been designated as a “maintenance area” by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for ground-level ozone, summer ozone concentrations can exceed the health-based standard. In summer of 2005, the Kansas City region’s air did not meet the standard for ozone on 15 days. This year, the region has so far experienced eight days on which the standard was not met.

During Ozone Alerts, residents can protect their health with the following precautions:

• Limit vigorous outdoor chores and activities during Ozone Alerts, especially during mid-afternoon when ground-level ozone is highest.
• Postpone high-emissions activities such as excessive driving, mowing the lawn, or refueling your car until the Ozone Alert is over. This will help bring ozone concentrations down.

SkyCasts are reported on the MARC web site, www.marc.org, area television weathercasts, The Kansas City Star weather page, or by calling the air quality information line, 913-383-7557. SkyCast is coordinated by MARC as a public service, with forecasts provided by Weather or Not, Inc.

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