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Eastern Jackson County, MO —
A metrowide ozone alert has been posted for Thursday, the third straight day, meaing concentrations of ground-level ozone are at unhealthy levels.
Both the KCATA and IndeBus have 75-cent bus fares on ozone alert days, part of an effort to promote public transit and cut down on overall auto emissions. Officials also suggest not fueling your vehicle until after sundown and not mowing until the alerts pass, as lawnmowers and other gas-powered lawn equipment put off a surprising amount of pollution. The air-quality problem is worse when it’s warm, as exhaust from smokestacks, cars, lawnmowers and other places mixes with air and sunlight to create ozone. The hot and not-very-breezy conditions also contribute to the problem.
The primary ozone concern is for active children and adults and those with respiratory disease such as asthma, all of whom are advised to limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
The Mid-America Regional Council posts a “sky cast” – green, yellow, orange or red – each day from April through October. Orange and red are ozone alerts. All of the alert days so far this year have been “orange,” as has been the case for several years in Kansas City.
The skycast is posted at www.marc.org/airQ
A metrowide ozone alert has been posted for Thursday, the third straight day, meaing concentrations of ground-level ozone are at unhealthy levels.
Both the KCATA and IndeBus have 75-cent bus fares on ozone alert days, part of an effort to promote public transit and cut down on overall auto emissions. Officials also suggest not fueling your vehicle until after sundown and not mowing until the alerts pass, as lawnmowers and other gas-powered lawn equipment put off a surprising amount of pollution. The air-quality problem is worse when it’s warm, as exhaust from smokestacks, cars, lawnmowers and other places mixes with air and sunlight to create ozone. The hot and not-very-breezy conditions also contribute to the problem.
The primary ozone concern is for active children and adults and those with respiratory disease such as asthma, all of whom are advised to limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
The Mid-America Regional Council posts a “sky cast” – green, yellow, orange or red – each day from April through October. Orange and red are ozone alerts. All of the alert days so far this year have been “orange,” as has been the case for several years in Kansas City.
The skycast is posted at www.marc.org/airQ
