It鈥檚 that time of year -- time to air out the camping gear, grab a fresh pair of sneakers and bask in Colorado鈥檚 outdoors. But depending on the day, you may have a hard time catching your breath. That鈥檚 likely due to higher levels of ozone, an air pollutant formed when certain types of emissions -- think car exhaust -- react with sunlight. Levels spike in the summer due to warm weather and it鈥檚 important to stay informed on ozone levels in your area.
The American Lung Association鈥檚 annual report is out for 2017. Using data from the Environmental Protection Agency, the report assigns letter grades to cities each year. Steamboat Springs won recognition as one of the cleanest cities in the country when it comes to ozone pollution. Colorado Springs and Pueblo-Canon City made the top ten for cleanest air.
Ozone and your Health
If you have any type of respiratory difficulty, it鈥檚 important to be aware of high ozone days. If you live along the Front Range, you can sign up to receive from the state Air Quality Control Commission. The AQCC also has about other health-related concerns around ozone.
What can you do about ozone?
There are many programs to help people cut down on their own contributions to air pollution. Here are a few of them:
- (Denver)
- (Fort Collins)
If all these programs are available, why do we still see high ozone days?
Much of that is due to something called background ozone -- ozone that travels from other places. Believe it or not, you can blame China. In 2015, air pollution occurring in China travels over the Pacific Ocean, and foils attempts by Western states to improve air quality. from that year cited background ozone as one of the American West鈥檚 biggest air quality challenges.
