***Unhealthy Ozone Air Alert***

How can ground-level ozone affect your health?
Ozone can:
• Cause permanent lung damage. Repeated short-term ozone damage to children's developing lungs may lead to reduced lung function in adulthood. In adults, ozone exposure may accelerate the natural decline in lung function that occurs with age.
• Inflame and damage cells that line your lungs. Within a few days, the damaged cells are replaced and the old cells are shed-much like the way your skin peels after a sunburn.
• Make your lungs more susceptible to infection.
• Aggravate asthma. When ozone levels are unhealthy, more people with asthma have symptoms that require a doctor's attention or the use of medication. Ozone makes people more sensitive to allergens—the most common triggers for asthma attacks. Also, asthmatics may be more severely affected by reduced lung function and airway inflammation. People with asthma should have an asthma action plan and follow it carefully when ozone levels are unhealthy.
• Aggravate other chronic lung diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
• Irritate your respiratory system. When this happens, you may cough, feel irritation or soreness in your throat, orexperience chest tightness or pain when taking a deep breath.
Reduce lung function. This can make it more difficult for you to breathe as deeply and vigorously as you normally would, especially when exercising. You may notice that breathing starts to feel uncomfortable and that you are taking more rapid and shallow breaths than normal.
Many of these effects can lead to increased school or work absences, visits to doctors and emergency rooms, and hospital admissions. Research also indicates that ozone exposure can increase the risk of premature death from heart or lung disease, although more research is needed to understand how ozone may affect the heart and cardiovascular system.
When ozone levels may be unhealthy—for example on hot sunny days—notice whether you have any respiratory symptoms. If you do, take steps to protect your health, as described below (at https://www.airnow.gov/sites/default/files/2020-02/ozone-c.pdf).