Agencies to stress hazards of ozone

season begins today, and Arkansans in the southern half of the state can expect normal or higher than usual temperatures during the season’s peak.

The projections are for June, July and August and include the Little Rock metropolitan area, according to the National Weather Service. The rest of the state doesn’t have a clear indication for temperatures.

Warmer temperatures can increase ground-level ozone in an area, and central Arkansas officials will kick off a new campaign today aimed at making people more aware of how to combat the temperature’s contribution to ground-level ozone.

Ozone season refers to the time of year in which ozone levels are monitored by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. The season lasts through Sept. 30. Ozone seasons vary by state and sometimes counties within those states.

The season is set when the weather is hotter and air is likelier to interact with car exhaust and other emissions to create ground-level ozone.

Ozone occurs naturally in the atmosphere. When car exhaust and industrial emissions react to high temperatures and sunlight, ozone forms at the ground level, where it is often referred to as smog.

Exposure to ground-level ozone can intensify allergies or respiratory problems for people who already have them. Levels of ozone far above the federal standard can create respiratory problems for anyone who goes outside.

This year central Arkansas planning and transportation leaders will extend their typically weeklong Ditch the Keys campaign to last the entire ozone season in hopes it will lead to more people choosing more emissions-reducing methods of transportation, such as carpooling or biking, more frequently.

The campaign, organized by central Arkansas planning agency Metroplan, previously was a seven-day event in which a different lower-emissions method of transportation was encouraged each day.

This year, the concept stretches into each of the five ozone-season months focusing on one method of commuting.

May will focus on biking, June on transit, July on telecommuting or carpooling, August on making a difference in another way, and September on walking.

Making a difference could be as simple as choosing to fill up a car’s gas tank at night or in the early morning, said Lynn Bell, graphics specialist and trails coordinator for Metroplan. Gas can interact with the air to contribute ozone. She made the same recommendation for mowing lawns.

“Of course, just one person won’t make that much of a difference,

but when you get a bunch of people waiting until later in the day … it really can make a difference in our atmosphere and our air,” Bell said.

Try Transit Day will be Wednesday, when buses and trolleys are free in an effort to encourage people to try them out and learn how public transit works in central Arkansas.

May 18 will include a biking to work event that coincides with National Bike to Work Day.

Arkansas’ ozone levels for the past few years have consistently met the federal standard and an even stricter standard delayed by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt.

The EPA’s ozone standard is 75 parts of ozone per billion parts of air, measured by taking the fourth-highest daily ozone level each year for three years and averaging that number. The standard was set to change to 70 parts per billion in 2017 but hasn’t changed yet.

Marion, in Crittenden County, registered the state’s highest level last year at 67 parts per billion. Memphis monitors had readings between 62 and 66, central Arkansas’ two monitors detected levels of 61 and 63, and Northwest Arkansas’ two monitors recorded levels of 59 and 60.

Ozone readings below 60 parts per billion are considered “good,” according to the EPA. Readings from 60 to 75 are considered “moderate,” and readings from 76 to 95 are considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” Above 96, classifications range from “unhealthy” to “hazardous.”