* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Cardi B Adds More Dates to Little Miss Drama Tour: ‘Y’all Making Me Work’ – Yahoo

    Cardi B Extends Little Miss Drama Tour: “Y’all Making Me Work

    ‘Today’: Sheinelle Jones Thanks Katie Couric for Support After Husband’s Death – CBS 19 News

    Sheinelle Jones Expresses Heartfelt Thanks to Katie Couric for Support After Husband’s Passing

    Sate your hunger at DBA’s Taste of Downtown – Bakersfield.com

    Indulge Your Cravings at DBA’s Taste of Downtown!

    Caesars Entertainment (CZR): Assessing Valuation After Times Square Casino Setback and Mounting Investor Concerns – simplywall.st

    Caesars Entertainment Faces Times Square Casino Hurdles as Investor Concerns Mount

    Why Hilaria Baldwin Has Found the ‘DWTS’ Process ‘Embarrassing’ At Times – WFXG

    Hilaria Baldwin Opens Up About the Embarrassing Moments on Her ‘DWTS’ Journey

    Harvest Fest 2025 – yadkinripple.com

    Celebrate the Bounty: Harvest Fest 2025 is Coming!

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Autonomous Solutions shows off cutting-edge technology for the public – Cache Valley Daily

    Autonomous Solutions Unveils Cutting-Edge Technology for the Public

    Amazon to Pay $2.5 Billion in Prime Membership Settlement – The New York Times

    Amazon to Pay $2.5 Billion in Prime Membership Settlement – The New York Times

    What are we really gaining from technology? – Fast Company

    What Are We Really Gaining from Technology?

    TOMI Environmental Solutions, Inc. Expands SteraMist iHP Technology Services in Healthcare Sector with New Provider Partnership – Quiver Quantitative

    TOMI Environmental Solutions Accelerates SteraMist iHP Technology Expansion in Healthcare with New Provider Partnership

    Indiana County Technology Center’s Joint Operating Committee looks to the future as program plans began to take shape – Indiana Gazette Online

    Indiana County Technology Center’s Joint Operating Committee Charts an Exciting Path Forward as New Program Plans Take Shape

    Meta to expand Montgomery data hub, pushing total investment to $1.5 billion – Alabama Department of Commerce

    Meta to Supercharge Montgomery Data Hub with $1.5 Billion Investment

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Cardi B Adds More Dates to Little Miss Drama Tour: ‘Y’all Making Me Work’ – Yahoo

    Cardi B Extends Little Miss Drama Tour: “Y’all Making Me Work

    ‘Today’: Sheinelle Jones Thanks Katie Couric for Support After Husband’s Death – CBS 19 News

    Sheinelle Jones Expresses Heartfelt Thanks to Katie Couric for Support After Husband’s Passing

    Sate your hunger at DBA’s Taste of Downtown – Bakersfield.com

    Indulge Your Cravings at DBA’s Taste of Downtown!

    Caesars Entertainment (CZR): Assessing Valuation After Times Square Casino Setback and Mounting Investor Concerns – simplywall.st

    Caesars Entertainment Faces Times Square Casino Hurdles as Investor Concerns Mount

    Why Hilaria Baldwin Has Found the ‘DWTS’ Process ‘Embarrassing’ At Times – WFXG

    Hilaria Baldwin Opens Up About the Embarrassing Moments on Her ‘DWTS’ Journey

    Harvest Fest 2025 – yadkinripple.com

    Celebrate the Bounty: Harvest Fest 2025 is Coming!

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Autonomous Solutions shows off cutting-edge technology for the public – Cache Valley Daily

    Autonomous Solutions Unveils Cutting-Edge Technology for the Public

    Amazon to Pay $2.5 Billion in Prime Membership Settlement – The New York Times

    Amazon to Pay $2.5 Billion in Prime Membership Settlement – The New York Times

    What are we really gaining from technology? – Fast Company

    What Are We Really Gaining from Technology?

    TOMI Environmental Solutions, Inc. Expands SteraMist iHP Technology Services in Healthcare Sector with New Provider Partnership – Quiver Quantitative

    TOMI Environmental Solutions Accelerates SteraMist iHP Technology Expansion in Healthcare with New Provider Partnership

    Indiana County Technology Center’s Joint Operating Committee looks to the future as program plans began to take shape – Indiana Gazette Online

    Indiana County Technology Center’s Joint Operating Committee Charts an Exciting Path Forward as New Program Plans Take Shape

    Meta to expand Montgomery data hub, pushing total investment to $1.5 billion – Alabama Department of Commerce

    Meta to Supercharge Montgomery Data Hub with $1.5 Billion Investment

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

Ground-level ozone is getting worse. Here’s what it means for your health.

April 16, 2024
in Science
Ground-level ozone is getting worse. Here’s what it means for your health.
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Belching factory smokestacks and black smoke pouring from muscle-car tailpipes made the air unsafe to breathe in parts of the United States before legislation passed in the 1960s and the following decades helped reversed the trend. But now experts say a “climate penalty” is kicking in, with climate change worsening a key aspect of air quality: surface-level ozone. This ozone is especially damaging to the respiratory system, harming airways and making lungs susceptible to infection.

Air quality in the U.S. 30 years from now will be similar to that of the early 2000s—rather than the better air we have today, according to a report released in February by the research firm First Street. The causes of the bad air are rising ozone due to warmer temperatures along with climate-induced wildfires, which are expected to increase in frequency and severity. (The smoke from these fires increases tiny inhalable particulate matter known as PM2.5.)

Both will lead to more days of unhealthy air.

As surface-level ozone worsens, more than 400 counties in the U.S. that do not currently suffer any poor-air-quality days will experience them in the coming years, according to the First Street report.

Heat waves—already three times more frequent and lasting longer than in decades past—are especially conducive to troublesome ozone spikes.

“When you have high temperatures, a lot of sunshine, and stagnant air—which is common during a heat wave—that’s a perfect recipe for making surface ozone,” says Loretta Mickley, a senior research fellow in chemistry-climate interactions at Harvard University.

According to a study Mickley coauthored, parts of the country will see high levels of ozone trigger twice as many bad-air alert days by the 2050s—sometimes up to nine days a year.

Even now, ozone is making air quality worse in some locations than previously, says Jeremy Porter, a climate implications scientist at First Street. “This is almost always tied to climate change,” Porter says. (The organization’s Risk Factor website quantifies air quality risk, along with flood, fire, and other climate-related perils, for individual properties across the country.)

The U.S. government also highlights ozone’s role in its Fifth National Climate Assessment, released last fall. Ozone is one of the reasons “climate change is projected to worsen air quality in many regions, harming human health,” the report states.

Heat plays a huge role

Ground-level ozone is a colorless gas that forms when a mixture of precursor volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides interact with sunlight. While some of these precursors are emitted naturally from trees and soils, many come from human activity, particularly vehicles, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, and chemical plants.

Ozone is linked to climate because air temperature is an important weather factor in driving ozone formation. “Hotter temperatures allow the chemicals to combine and produce ozone,” Porter says. Overall higher temperatures lead to more average days each year when ozone levels may be elevated as well as to more short-term spikes.

The National Climate Assessment report predicts severe ozone episodes will become more frequent in the Northeastern U.S. and California, while year-round ozone will rise the most in the Midwest and Northeast. First Street also believes pockets in the Great Plains, Deep South, and Gulf Coast are becoming ripe for year-round air issues.

Low-income and minority communities are especially at risk, according to the national assessment, because they tend to be located closer to the factories and oil refineries that emit many precursor chemicals.

“Everyone needs to pay more attention to ozone,” says Jeffrey Yanosky, a researcher at the Institute of Energy and the Environment at Penn State University. “Many people are largely unaware of potentially dangerous substances in the atmosphere and that the levels of those substances may be rising.”

People with asthma will suffer most

Ozone, a compound made from three oxygen atoms, can also form in the stratosphere, where it plays a protective role because it absorbs a type of ultraviolet radiation—UVB—that causes skin cancer and harms marine life. Concerns rose in the 1980s when scientists realized that the ozone layer over Antarctica had thinned (dubbed the ozone hole) and allowed harmful radiation to pass through. This led to an international agreement, the Montreal Protocol, to phase out stratospheric ozone-harming chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons.

(What is the ozone layer, and why does it matter)

But while stratospheric ozone is protective, high levels of ground-level ozone are detrimental to vegetation, animals, and people, which is why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency labels it a “harmful air pollutant.”

Ground-level ozone is especially damaging to the respiratory system. It harms airways and makes lungs susceptible to infection, and many people report coughs or scratchy throats, and pain while breathing. These effects can occur even in those who are otherwise in good health. Yanosky recalls biking in Sacramento on a day that ozone levels were high and feeling his throat and chest burn during the ride.

People with asthma, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis are especially at risk. Deaths from respiratory illnesses are more common in areas with high levels of ozone, according to the EPA.

Margarita Torres, a 50-year-old medical education coordinator in Homestead, Florida, has suffered from asthma since childhood. Torres is increasingly concerned about how South Florida’s warmer weather and more frequent heat waves will likely exacerbate local ozone levels and her disease.

“With spring and summers longer and hotter, I worry about how climate change will continue to affect my asthma,” Torres says. “What’s going to happen to a person like me?”

(Air pollution kills millions every year, like a ‘pandemic in slow motion’)

Health gains touted by the EPA—a product of decades of regulations that make air cleaner—include preventing more than 100,000 hospital admissions and millions of lost work and school days in the past 50 years. These advances are now at risk of reversing, Porter says.

Certain trees, including the ponderosa and white pine trees, black cherry trees and red alder, are also readily damaged by too much surface ozone.

Reversing the trend

Converting many vehicles from fuel to electric will be especially important for improving air quality. Studies show that in many cities, the largest contributors to high-ozone levels are cars and trucks.

Other actions that limit the greenhouse gas emissions fueling climate change are also crucial for reducing troublesome air, including switching to renewable energy and encouraging methane reduction in agriculture and natural gas extraction.

People can track the level of ozone (as well as PM2.5) in their community on the EPA’s website, AirNow. When ozone is high, the EPA recommends staying indoors as much as possible.

If you must go out during an ozone spike, the EPA advises taking public transportation over driving a car, or at least limiting car engine idling to lower the amount of volatile organic compounds emitted. It’s also advisable to put off using household or garden chemicals that evaporate into the air, which can generate additional surface ozone.

“A lot of what will happen in the future depends on our approach to the emissions of the human precursors,” Mickley says. “Going forward we have a choice of what we see.”

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : National Geographic – https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/climate-change-ozone-worse-respiratory-diseases

Tags: Ground-levelozonescience
Previous Post

Why Passover is one of Judaism’s most important holidays

Next Post

The best air purifiers for 2024

Hypertension – World Health Organization (WHO)

Hypertension – World Health Organization (WHO)

September 26, 2025
In Kansas City, Secretary Rollins Speaks on State of Farm Economy, Announces Suite of Actions to Support American Farmers – USDA (.gov)

Secretary Rollins Launches Bold New Initiatives to Boost Kansas City’s Farm Economy and Empower American Farmers

September 26, 2025
Cardi B Adds More Dates to Little Miss Drama Tour: ‘Y’all Making Me Work’ – Yahoo

Cardi B Extends Little Miss Drama Tour: “Y’all Making Me Work

September 26, 2025
Vandalia Health Mon Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital to host blood drive Sept. 29 – Mon Health

Vandalia Health Mon Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital to Host Life-Saving Blood Drive on September 29

September 26, 2025
Special congressional election sees 3% voter turnout in Nashville: Week in politics – The Tennessean

Nashville’s Special Congressional Election Draws Just 3% Voter Turnout

September 26, 2025
Ecological burns slated for Corvallis area this weekend – NPR for Oregonians

Ecological Burns Set for This Weekend to Revitalize Corvallis Habitats

September 26, 2025
Beijing International Week for Science Literacy Wraps Up with Focus on AI-Driven Communication – The Korea Herald

Beijing International Week for Science Literacy Wraps Up Highlighting AI-Powered Communication Innovations

September 26, 2025
Science & Society: September 2025 – Yale School of Public Health

Science & Society: September 2025 – Yale School of Public Health

September 26, 2025
New Mexico Prickly Pear Festival expands to two-day event – Albuquerque Journal

New Mexico Prickly Pear Festival Grows into Exciting Two-Day Celebration

September 26, 2025
Autonomous Solutions shows off cutting-edge technology for the public – Cache Valley Daily

Autonomous Solutions Unveils Cutting-Edge Technology for the Public

September 26, 2025

Categories

Archives

September 2025
MTWTFSS
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930 
« Aug    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (838)
  • Economy (859)
  • Entertainment (21,734)
  • General (17,259)
  • Health (9,902)
  • Lifestyle (871)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (860)
  • Politics (869)
  • Science (16,068)
  • Sports (21,358)
  • Technology (15,841)
  • World (842)

Recent News

Hypertension – World Health Organization (WHO)

Hypertension – World Health Organization (WHO)

September 26, 2025
In Kansas City, Secretary Rollins Speaks on State of Farm Economy, Announces Suite of Actions to Support American Farmers – USDA (.gov)

Secretary Rollins Launches Bold New Initiatives to Boost Kansas City’s Farm Economy and Empower American Farmers

September 26, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version