Ozone
Action
Days

Do Your Share
For Cleaner Air

How Your Actions

Can Help Reduce

Air Pollution

Ozone... Good Up High, Bad Nearby

What we typically call smog is primarily made up of ground-level ozone. Ozone can be good or bad, depending on where it is located. Ozone high above the Earth, known as the ozone layer, protects human health and the environment from ultraviolet radiation. Ground-level ozone can have harmful effects on plants and animals and can cause respiratory and other health problems for each of us. Traffic Jam

What Causes Ground-Level Ozone?

Ground-level ozone is created when a mixture of air pollutants from a variety of sources -- such as the fumes from our vehicles, lawnmowers, and boats, or emissions from power plants and industrial facilities -- react in sunlight. The main ozone-causing pollutants are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Because heat and sunlight are also important factors in ground-level ozone formation, ozone pollution is primarily a concern from April through October. Motor vehicles account for about 30-40% of the ozone-causing pollutants in the Baltimore and Washington areas.
Gavel

Why Take Action Now?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated the Baltimore and Washington regions as "non-attainment" areas because of our poor air quality. Regulations, ranging from tough vehicle inspection standards to restrictions on how businesses operate, are now required in our area. As this area continues to grow, ozone levels may also climb. That's why we all need to take action now to maintain and improve our air quality for the future.

Here's How You Can Help

Nobody likes air pollution. It's bad for our health and the environment. Since ozone formation is influenced by the weather, however, it is possible to predict when conditions will exist for our areas to have high ozone pollution. A team of meteorologists provides such forecasts for both the Baltimore and Washington areas. On these predicted "Ozone Action Days," we can all do simple things to keep ground-level ozone levels low and make our air healthier to breathe.

Can Individual Actions Really Help Reduce Air Pollution?

You bet! Even seemingly small actions taken by individuals rapidly add up. Here's how: Lawnmower

Fact:

Every summer day in the Baltimore and Washington area, gasoline powered lawn and garden equipment release over 100 times more VOCs than a typical large industrial plant.

On Ozone Action Days, if 20% of us don't mow our lawns, we would reduce VOCs by an amount equal to emissions that would be released by over 1 million new cars driving 20-30 miles a day.

Your Action:

On Ozone Action Days, defer
lawn and gardening chores that
use gasoline-powered equipment.

Paint

Fact:

Each year, 40 million pounds of VOCs are released by residents of the Baltimore and Washington areas using consumer products such as paints, cleaners and hairsprays. This is about the same amount of VOCs that would be released by 3 million new cars driving 10,000 miles a year.

On Ozone Action Days, if 20% of us put off using oil-based paints, the amount of VOCs that would be saved would equal that released by 90 typical "smoke stack" industries.

	Your Action:
On Ozone Action Days, postpone oil-based paint and solvent use. Defer use of household consumer products that release fumes or evaporate easily.

Here's What Else You Can Do On Ozone Action Days:

Limit driving. Rideshare, carpool, walk, or bike. Combine errands.
Take public transportation.
Don't refuel on an Ozone Action Day. If you must refuel, do so after dark.
Start charcoal with an electric or chimney-type fire starter instead of lighter fluid.
Avoid excessive idling.
Keep your car well tuned.
Conserve energy and recycle.

For more information on the Ozone Action Days

program, call the Ozone Action Line at:

1-800-539-6656 (Baltimore)
1-800-745-7433 (Washington)

Take Care of Earth