This Week's Feature
With Ozone Season Now Upon Us, Cities Face New Standard for Safe Air
The weather's getting warmer and the days are getting longer, and that means more people, especially children, will be heading outdoors. Unfortunately, it also means that ozone season is upon us.
Ozone, the main ingredient in smog, forms when emissions from smokestacks and tailpipes react in the presence of heat and sunlight. That's why ozone pollution is worse in warm-weather months, right when more kids are going outside. And since youngsters' lungs are still forming, they are especially vulnerable to the health effects of ozone, such as increased asthma attacks and reduced lung capacity.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tightened its standard for safe ozone levels. Although the new benchmark goes further to protect human health, EPA bowed to political pressure and decided not to impose stronger protections recommended by public health professionals and the agency's own scientists.
Yet, even this weak new standard is likely to push more southern cities than ever into "non-attainment" of federal ozone limits. They will then face deadlines to clean up their air or risk sanctions, including loss of federal highway funds.
>>Read more about ozone pollution in the South ...
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