News release from the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health:
Air Quality Action Day for Ozone
The level of ozone in Fort Wayne and Allen County has been forecast to be Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012.
Active children and adults, the elderly, and people with heart or lung disease should limit or avoid prolonged outdoor exertion while an Air Quality Action Day for Ozone is in effect. If breathing becomes difficult, go indoors and contact your health care provider.
Ground level ozone is formed when a mixture of air pollutants are cooked in the sunlight. Weather conditions used in forecasting levels of ground-level ozone include amount of sunshine, temperature, wind direction and humidity. Even at low levels, breathing ground-level ozone can trigger a variety of health problems for people with asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
To reduce ozone levels, everyone should:
[list type=”black”]
[li]Walk, bike, carpool or use public transportation[/li]
[li]Avoid using the drive-through, combine errands into one trip, and turn off the engine when idling for more than 10 seconds[/li]
[li]Maintain proper air pressure in tires[/li]
[li]Delay lawn mowing or vehicle refueling until after 7 p.m.[/li]
[li]Conserve electricity by turning off lights and computers when not in use[/li]
[/list]For more information on ozone, visit the IDEM Smog Watch Web site at www.in.gov/apps/idem/smog or call 1-800-631-2871. For more air quality action steps, please visit the Clean Air Force at www.thecleanairforce.org.
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