What is Good and Bad Ozone?

Question: What is Good and Bad Ozone?

Ozone is in the air. Ozone is both a good guy and a bad guy depending on where in the air it shows up. Ozone is good up high, bad nearby.

Answer:

Protective Ozone
Ozone in the stratosphere provides a protective ozone layer that protects the earth from UV radiation. At that level ozone depletion or ozone holes are bad.

Destructive Ozone
Ozone lower in the atmosphere, at ground level in the air we breathe, is a pollutant. It is a health hazard and it can harm plants as well.

Ground-level ozone is found in smog. It forms when certain pollutants combine under specific weather conditions (such as the hot Texas sun in Spring and Summer). Activities such as burning charcoal or gasoline release Nitrous Oxides (NOx). NOx combines with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) to form ozone. These VOCs may be emitted by plant life (good VOCs) as well as common household and industrial chemicals (bad VOCs). When the NOx combines with the bad VOCs we get increased amounts of ozone. When there is no wind to move air around, the excess ozone settles at ground-level and may appear as a haze over the city. More ground-level ozone means poorer air quality.

Austin Air Quality and Ozone Pollution
Emissions from vehicles is the largest source of ground-level ozone in Austin and Central Texas. That's why the City of Austin encourages the use of public transporation and other methods of transportation that reduce the number of cars and trucks on the road.

Ozone pollution makes breathing very difficult for some people. It aggravates asthma and can cause respiratory distress and infections. Ozone pollution affects plant life as well, killing trees and interfering with food crops.

The federal government has set certain standards for air quality, including acceptable and unacceptable ozone levels. Unfortunately, Austin is frequently at risk for exceeding the federal standards and having too much ground-level ozone during certain times of the year.

To learn more about ground-level ozone in Austin see: What Are Ozone Action Days?

Does ozone in the air affect you directly? Have you made lifestyle changes (riding the bus, etc.) because of ozone levels or to help reduce ozone? What are your thoughts on this environmental issue? Share your opinion on ozone and ozone action days in Austin.