____SAMPLE OZONE ACTION NEWSLETTER FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION____
It’s always important to protect your skin during the summer, but what about your lungs? Hot, sunny weather brings another enemy called ground-level ozone, and if you breathe enough of it, you can get the equivalent of a sunburn on your lungs!
Ozone is a complex form of oxygen. In the upper atmosphere, it is referred to as the “ozone layer,” and it protects our skin by shielding us from harmful ultraviolet rays. But when this odorless, invisible gas forms in the air we breathe, it’s called “ground-level” ozone, and it can be harmful to our health.
High concentrations of ground-level ozone have greater effects on the young, the elderly and people with respiratory problems, such as asthma. But even healthy people working or exercising outdoors can experience breathing problems when ozone levels are high.
A hot, sunny, windless day is the most dangerous kind for ground-level ozone because the sun “bakes” gases from tailpipe emissions, fuel evaporation, smokestacks, and oil-based paints and solvents to create ozone pollution. If unchecked, ground-level ozone not only harms our health, it also threatens the economic growth of our region. If our air quality falls below national standards, we may face more directives to clean it up, and that costs all of us.
Because we know that ozone is likely to form on hot, sunny days with little or no wind, high ozone days can be predicted with reasonable accuracy. If a high ozone day is forecasted, the Ozone Action Partnership calls for an Ozone Action Day. Then the news media and participating local businesses and organizations will announce the Ozone Action Days and ask everyone to do their share to help reduce ozone.
Some actions that help reduce ozone include:
Take transit or carpool to work
Postpone fueling your car until after 6 p.m.
Use an electric instead of gas-powered lawnmower
Use latex rather than oil-based paints and solvents
Don’t overcool your home
Wash dishes and clothes with full loads
The Ozone Action Partnership is a group of local businesses, organizations and government agencies dedicated to helping the region maintain good air quality. ___YOUR COMPANY HERE___ is a member of the Ozone Action Partnership and will announce predicted Ozone Action Days and ways that you can help reduce ground-level ozone throughout the summer.