How Bad Is Ground-Level-Ozone
Remember the worrying hole in the ozone layer? Do you think the more ozone in the air, the better? In fact, only when ozone appears at an altitude of tens of thousands of meters and blocks a large amount of ultraviolet rays for the creatures on the earth is ozone good. When ozone accumulates on the ground, it breaks down.
The light blue ozone is not conspicuous when it reaches the ground. You may find it difficult to perceive its existence, but you must understand what bad things it has done.
The ground-level ozone is extremely destructive to your respiratory system. It stimulates your respiratory tract, causing symptoms such as tracheal wall swelling, dyspnea, chest pain, cough, and sore throat. Frequent stimulation may cause irreversible damage to the respiratory system; it weakens your lung function and makes your lung capacity smaller. People who work outdoors and exercise often feel shortness of breath, which is the cause of ozone. People who are most sensitive to Ozone have children with asthma. Ozone will damage children's young, underdeveloped lungs and increase children's asthma Chances, and for people who already have asthma, they will seriously worsen their condition. In general, as ground-level ozone concentration increases, more people feel the health effects, the more serious the effects become, and more people are admitted to hospitals for respiratory problems. When ozone levels are very high, we should all worry about exposure to ozone. There are people with a higher susceptibility to ozone . Scientists still don't know why, but some healthy people may feel health effects at lower levels of outdoor activity or at lower levels of ozone in the air than the average person.
Ozone is also damaging the ecosystems, including reducing crop yields and inhibiting tree growth. Another point that cannot be ignored is that the strong oxidizing property of ozone makes it extremely active, which will greatly promote the generation of other air pollutants. For example, many components in PM 2.5 , which is now a headache for us, are oxidation products of ozone.
At present, ground-level ozone has been listed as a major air pollutant by many countries and regions, such as the United States, Canada, and Europe, which have formulated standards and regulations for ozone. Of course, the most "lethal" regulation to implement is the Clean Air Act in the United States. It stipulates that ozone is one of the six major air pollutants. The current standard is that the 8-hour average concentration does not exceed 75 ppb. This standard is still unsatisfactory, and is being proposed to further increase the standard to 60-70 ppb, knowing that the generally accepted ground background ozone concentration can also reach about 40 ppb. Once a region is designated as a non-compliance zone, the state government to which it belongs must submit a detailed compliance plan within the prescribed time. If the plan is not approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, it will invite the federal government's mandatory compliance action.
Knowing how bad ground-level ozone is, do not neglect to prevent it. This can not only reduce the harm of ozone to our health, but also help to treat other pollutants. However, ozone is very “crafty” and difficult to control.
The harmful effect of ozone can also occur without any signs or symptoms. Ozone continue to cause lung damage even when symptoms have disappeared. The best way to protect your health is to stay informed about high levels of ozone in your area and take simple precautions to minimize exposure even if you have no obvious symptoms
From a small perspective
We should actively promote environmental protection to our families. It advocates adopting a green lifestyle, starting with itself, starting with small things, and actively participating in environmental protection, striving to be a green volunteer, and to be a little guardian of environmental protection. Adopt a green lifestyle, save resources, reduce pollution, green consumption, environmentally friendly purchase, reuse, multiple uses, classified recovery, recycling, protection of nature and the coexistence of all things. Actively participate in the creation of green schools. Participate in afforestation activities more, call on the public to protect the environment, and establish a sense of caring for nature.
How to avoid the formation and exposure of "bad ozone"?
The core of ozone pollution prevention is to strictly control NOx and VOCs. When outdoor ozone concentration is high, it is recommended to reduce outings and outdoor activities. If you need to go out, it is recommended to take good protection. For example, wearing hats, glasses and masks. In normal times, it can increase physical exercise, improve physical fitness, strengthen immunity, and reduce the damage of ozone to the upper respiratory tract.
Ozone is a double-edged sword. We need to make good use of this double-edged sword. Use "good ozone" to reduce "bad ozone" and protect human health.
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