Worsening air conditions trigger ozone alert in OKC and Tulsa

Not only have temperatures risen in Oklahoma this week, but due to poor air conditions, another ozone warning has been issued for Oklahoma City and Tulsa for Friday.

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality declared Thursday an “Ozone Alert Day.” Ozone concentrations are predicted to reach alarming levels over the course of the next day.

Sensitive individuals should plan accordingly. When these levels are reached, an air quality health alert is issued. Health alerts are notifications that ozone levels have reached levels harmful to health. They are based on near real-time monitoring values.

People with lung or heart disease should be aware that increased levels of air pollution can affect their health. Ozone affects people differently. Unhealthy levels of ozone can cause throat irritation, coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath, increased susceptibility to respiratory infections, and worsening of asthma and other respiratory diseases.

These symptoms are made worse by exercise and heavy activity. Know your limits. Children, older adults, and people with lung conditions such as asthma are particularly at risk of suffering these effects. As ozone levels rise, so too do the number of people affected and the severity of the health effects.

The DEQ advises people to carpool or take the bus to work, walk or bike short distances in the morning hours when ozone levels are lower, and wait until the evening to fill up the car or mow the lawn.

Further tips:

• Arrive and leave work a little earlier or later than usual to reduce rush hour traffic.
• Drive your vehicle with the lowest fuel consumption.
• Make sure fuel caps on vehicles, lawn mowers and other equipment are properly sealed.
• Trip Chain: Combine errands to make just one trip instead of several.
• Limit the idle time in your vehicle.
• Limit the use of drive-through windows.
• Limit the use of barbecue lighters and other products containing hydrocarbons.
• Postpone normally permitted outdoor burning until a day when an ozone warning is not in effect.
• Limit or postpone the use of two-stroke engines (e.g. lawn mowers, weed killers, motor boats and motorcycles).
• Work from home if possible to reduce traffic and emissions