Urban Front Range corridor on air alert

Abundant sunshine, high temperatures and calm winds have ushered in another ozone action alert for the Front Range urban corridor, including Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins and Greeley.

The alert, issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Regional Air Quality Council, will remain in effect until at least 4 p.m. Thursday.

Prolonged ozone exposure can cause respiratory problems, reduce lung capacity and trigger asthma attacks in active children and adults.

People with lung disease, including asthma, should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion from noon until 8 p.m. Moderate concentrations of ozone were expected elsewhere throughout the Front Range on Wednesday and Thursday, officials warned in a news bulletin.

CDPHE spokesman Jeremy Neustifter said air particles from sources such as blowing dust and wildfires can cause the increased risk.

“Smaller particles are more dangerous because they enter more easily into the lungs,” he said. “These are usually in an area filled with wildfire smoke. There has been a lot more haze in the past few days from the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and northern California wildfires.”

The wildfire smoke that has made the air hazy along the Front Range is expected to decrease Thursday as winds shift, the CDPHE said.

The Air Quality Index simplifies standards developed by the EPA and puts them into a chart that is easier for the general public to understand. Particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers can cause risks. Ozone action alerts indicate that air quality is unhealthy or that conditions are expected to worsen over the next day.

“Right now, we’re not seeing those levels,” Neustifter said. “We expect that it’s possible and that’s what the alert is for, to be preemptive. Levels are not unhealthy, but approaching.”