June 1 Marks the Official Start of Ground- Level Ozone Season
Published: May 31, 2013June 1 marks the official start of ground- level ozone season across the Denver Metro Area and Northern Front Range. Ozone season is a three – month period in which the weather conditions are prone to elevate concentrations of ground-level ozone — an air pollutant resulting from a chemical reaction between emissions factors and […]
June 1 marks the official start of ground- level ozone season across the Denver Metro Area and Northern Front Range. Ozone season is a three – month period in which the weather conditions are prone to elevate concentrations of ground-level ozone — an air pollutant resulting from a chemical reaction between emissions factors and heat and sunlight — to a level that may be unhealthy for some area residents to breathe. The season will last through Aug. 31.
During ozone season, the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) — through its outreach and education program OzoneAware — issues Ozone Action Alerts to inform metro residents when meteorologists from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) expect weather conditions to lead to potentially unhealthy ozone concentrations. The program also encourages citizens to understand how air quality affects their health and the health of their family members, and to take action to reduce their individual ozone causing emissions.