The days are longer, the weather is warmer — it’s ozone season again.
Tulsa’s Ozone Alert is in its 25th season. Tom Byers with Magellan Midstream said it’s time to do all those things that help reduce ground-level ozone pollution.
"Breathing in ground-level ozone is a little bit like sunburning your lungs," Byers said. "It can also cause problems with asthma for children. In fact, we've heard children say sometimes on a high ozone level day it feels like they have an elephant sitting on their chest."
Last year’s ground-level ozone readings were .074 parts per million, just below the EPA standard of .075. Eddie Terrill with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality said the standard may drop, though.
"The EPA's looking at the ozone standard again, and I'm relatively sure they're going to lower it to somewhere .068–.070," Terrill said. "I think that Tulsa's got a good chance — or a fighting chance, at least — to stay in attainment, but it's going to be vital that these programs continue.
"So I think the mission, the goals and all that is going to be doubly important in the coming months."
Ways you can reduce ozone pollution are driving less and refueling and using gas-powered lawn equipment in the evenings.
