How Polluted is Your Air?
Posted July 8, 2010
When the temperature spikes, so do ozone levels. Ground-level ozone (or “smog”) is formed when hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide pollution from vehicles, power plants and other combustion combines in sunlight.
As you can imagine, those ozone levels have been too high for comfort at many points up and down the eastern seaboard and other regions during this week's heat wave.
http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city is a site that enables you to input your zip code and get both real-time and forecasted pollution levels for ozone and particulate matter.
If you look on the lower right side of the homepage, you can even sign up for a daily “EnviroFlash” email that provides this information on a daily basis.
If you are asthmatic or have any heart or lung conditions, or if you have children or elderly family members that you care for, or if you exercise outdoors, you might want to consider keeping up to date with your local pollution levels, especially in these heat waves.
Stay cool and healthy this summer...
