On ozone alert days, citizens are asked to take voluntary actions to reduce ozone forming emissions and avoid long outdoor exposure. Public transportation may even be free all day. Yet despite the warnings and free rides, bus drivers notice little increase in the number of passengers while people continue go about their daily business. So why are you ignoring ozone alert days? Following are eight reasons people ignore steamy weather warnings and reasons why they shouldn’t be complacent.
1. Public Transportation is Inconvenient
Workers complain that buses don’t stop close enough to their homes and don’t drop off close enough to their offices. Buses don’t run 24 hours a day and have limited weekend schedules. As a result, many commuters don’t find it worth the aggravation. If you can’t be convinced to use public transportation, drive less on ozone alert days. Try to combine trips or share rides with others whenever possible. Purchase gas after 7 p.m. and avoid topping-off, which releases additional air pollutants.
2. I Don’t Understand the Big Deal about Ozone Warnings
While many hear the stories on “Saving the Ozone Layer”, the common misconception is to believe all ozone is good. However, ozone comes in good AND bad forms. The good ozone is the blanket of O
3 molecules that protects our planet from UV radiation. The bad ozone is ground level ozone which results from multiple pollution sources including car emissions. To understand the process of ozone formation, watch a series of NASA animations that show the process of
upper atmospheric ozone creation.3. I’m Young and Healthy
It’s true that ozone alert days are particularly dangerous to the elderly and people with health problems such as asthma. But that doesn’t mean younger people should engage in strenuous activity during a heat wave. Children, who tend to spend more time outdoors during the summer than adu lts do, can develop breathing difficulties when playing outdoors on ozone alert days. Proper hydration and rest periods are recommended to avoid heat-related illnesses.
4. The Yard Work Has to Get Done
If you must mow your lawn, wait until late evening or postpone it to the next day. It is best to avoid using gasoline powered garden equipment at all on ozone alert days. Dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke can strike any individual who pushes himself to do yard work or other physically demanding activities on an ozone alert day. At the first sign of dizziness or breathing difficulty, head inside for cooler air and drink plenty of water.
5. Authorities Make Us Worry for Nothing
In today’s climate of color-coded terror alerts, airline security woes, and a multitude of other precautions issued by the government, it’s easy to become jaded. But on ozone alert days, the warnings really do apply to us all and should be heeded. Luckily, there are specific actions you can take to protect yourself from extreme heat. Pay attention to warnings urging you to drink plenty of water and stay indoors on ozone alert days, despite the temptation to shrug them off as government hysteria.
6. I Don’t Want to Miss a Day of Exercise
Well technically, you don’t have to; just make sure you don’t do it outdoors and try to schedule it before 11 a.m. or after 8 p.m. If you usually run or walk outside for exercise, it’s best to keep it indoors or skip it altogether on an ozone alert day. Remember that exercise causes you to breathe heavier through your mouth, drawing more pollution deeper into your lungs.
7. I Just Can’t Sit Around the House All Day; I Have to Go Out
Ozone alert warnings don’t restrict you from leaving the house – they just recommend that strenuous outdoor activities be suspended until the ozone is back at safe levels. Going out is fine as long as you don’t push yourself too hard physically. Just remember to bring plenty of sunscreen and water and be sure to rest when feelings of exertion kick in. Also, avoid traveling by car if possible, especially at peak traffic times when cars sit idling on the highway.
8. Nothing I Do to Conserve Energy is Going to Make a Difference
Totally untrue! Many state and federal energy agencies state that raising an air conditioner’s thermostat by a few degrees can save a significant amount of energy, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and save you money over the course of the year. The same holds true for lowering the thermostat a few degrees during the winter. Everyday consumers do hold the power to control energy consumption and harmful emissions. Refer to the
US Department of Energy’s website for more energy saving tips.
