Kansas City, MO – The Mid America Regional Council advises residents take precautions on Ozone Alert days, when ground level ozone concentrations hit unhealthy levels. It's a problem commonly known as smog.
https://www.marc.org/airquality/alert.jpg
Ozone pollution can cause a variety of problems in healthy adults, including chest pains, coughing, nausea, throat irritation and difficulty breathing. People who are particularly sensitive to air pollution children, seniors and people with respiratory or cardiac ailments should limit their exposure to outdoor air between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
MARC recommends reducing ozone pollution on Ozone Alert days:
- Cut back on or reschedule strenuous outside activities. Stay indoors in a well-ventilated or air-conditioned building. If you must be active outdoors, try to schedule activity before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m.
- Drive less. Combine errands and put off less-necessary trips for a cooler day, carpool, or use public transit. Better yet, take a leisurely walk or bike ride, preferably early in the morning or later in the evening.
- Avoid fueling. Simply filling your vehicle with gasoline can lead to pollution as fumes escape and tiny drips and spills occur, and gas vapors react with heat and sunlight to form ozone. If you must fill your tank, do so after dusk. And be sure to avoid "topping off" your tank.
- Mow later. Lawn and garden equipment is responsible for an estimated 9 percent of the Kansas City area's ozone-forming emissions. Postpone yard work that involves power