The Pima County Department of Environment Quality issued an advisory for ground-level ozone air pollution on Friday.
The PDEQ anticipates that the ground-level ozone air pollution will also be high on Saturday, a news release said. Those who are especially sensitive to air pollution may experience shortness of breath, coughing, throat irritation, wheezing and breathing discomfort.
For those who are especially sensitive to ozone, the PDEQ advises to limit the level of exertion outside between noon and 6 p.m. when elevated levels of ozone pollution are more likely to occur. Intense physical outdoor activity causes faster and deeper breathing, allowing ozone to penetrate into the parts of the lungs that are more likely to be injured.
Those who are most likely to be sensitive to ozone include children, adults who are active outdoors, people with respiratory diseases and certain individuals who have an unusual sensitivity to this particular pollutant.
Motor vehicle exhaust, industrial and power plant emissions, gasoline vapors, chemical solvents and natural sources that emit oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds that form ozone in the presence of intense sunlight and heat are all types of emissions that contribute to the creation on ground-level ozone.
