Ozone and Effects on Human Health

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To put it plainly, there is "good" ozone and "bad" ozone.

Ozone (03) is a gas and is a very active type of oxygen that is produced in the atmosphere when 3 atoms of oxygen are joined in one molecule. Ozone is found in two dissimilar and differing places - high up in the stratosphere and down low in the troposphere. Stratospheric ozone acts to protect the Earth against life damaging, radiation from ultraviolet rays from the sun and is often called 'good' ozone.

Ground-level ozone also known as 'bad' ozone, is a secondary pollutant, which means it is not pushed directly into the atmosphere but is made when primary pollutants react or interact with each other. Bad ozone is made by a photochemical reaction involving elements known as 'ozone precursors'. Specifically hydrocarbons referred to as volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx), chemically react in the sunlight to form ozone. Warm temperatures stimulate this reaction, which is the reason that the highest ozone levels most often occur during the hottest times of the year. Motorized vehicle emissions, industrial exhaust, incomplete combustion, vapors from gasoline and chemical solvents are just some of the highest sources of these ozone causes.

Ground level ozone is a major health and environmental concern and is a primary ingredient of smog, the pollution that blankets many urban areas during the summer but even rural areas are subject to increased ozone levels because the wind carries ozone and the pollutants that form it hundreds of miles away from their original sources and in turn generates air pollution over a wide area.

Ozone responds fast and strong in living tissues, fabrics derived from plants, dyes, rubber and many a host of other natural and human produced supplies. Ozone oxidizes and breaks down organic substances and when breathed in it can react with tissue in the lung creating acute inflammation or damage to the lungs as well as weakening the general immune system making humans more susceptible to illnesses like pneumonia or bronchitis. Of particular worry is that ozone mainly damages the bronchioles, the smallest airways and the alveoli, the super small air sacs that transmit oxygen into the blood.

Some people's answers to ozone contamination vary from person to person. Young children and the elderly, people with lung disease, including chronic bronchitis, asthma, and emphysema as well as people who work outdoors a lot, are at a higher danger from higher ozone levels. Ozone can aggravate the nose and airways of those with allergies, especially people with asthma, and can aggravate the allergy symptoms. Those with asthma have more attacks when ozone levels are increased. One study found an increase of 28 percent in emergency room visits for asthma episodes when ozone levels were even at medium levels.

Constant exposure to ozone may cause lasting harm to the respiratory system. Even when ozone is near in small levels, inhaling it causes a variety of health hazards such as chest pains, nausea , coughing, irritation of the throat, congestion and shortness of breath.