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EPA Warns New England of Poor Air Quality Tuesday for Most of New England

Release Date: 06/01/1999
Contact Information: Amy Miller, EPA Press Office (617-918-1042)

BOSTON - Memorial Day Weekend brought New Englanders in five states their first days of unhealthy air quality this season, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.

The highest levels of ozone during the weekend were recorded Monday, with unhealthy air recorded throughout Connecticut; in parts of western and eastern Massachusetts; on Cape Cod; north of metropolitan Boston; in southern New Hampshire, and all along the coast of Maine, including Acadia National Park

Elevated levels of ground-level ozone continued today in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, southern New Hampshire, and coastal Maine and were expected Wednesday for Connecticut and eastern Massachusetts.

Unhealthy levels of ozone were also recorded Saturday and Sunday along the coasts of Connecticut and Rhode Island and on Sunday in these areas as well as on Cape Cod and in Acadia National Park in Maine.

Ground level ozone, the main ingredient of smog, is unhealthy when average concentrations exceed .08 parts per million over an eight-hour period. Poor air quality affects everyone, but some people are particularly sensitive to ozone, including children and adults who are active outdoors, and people with respiratory diseases, such as asthma.

Exposure to elevated ozone levels can cause serious breathing problems, aggravate asthma and other pre-existing lung diseases, and make people more susceptible to respiratory infection. The most common symptoms of ozone exposure are coughing, pain when taking a deep breath and, for people with respiratory disease, shortness of breath.

"It is unfortunate that the first warm days of the year bring with it unhealthy air quality," said John P. DeVillars, administrator for the EPA's New England office. "It's also unfortunate that holiday destinations like Acadia National Park and Cape Cod National Seashore suffer poor air quality because of pollution that travels downwind from urban areas."

When elevated ozone levels are expected, EPA recommends that people limit strenuous outdoor activity during the afternoon and early evening hours, when ozone levels are highest.

Ground-level ozone (smog) is formed when volatile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen interact in the presence of sunlight. Cars, trucks and buses give off the majority of the pollution that makes smog. Fossil fuel burning at electric powerplants, particularly on hot days, also give off smog-making pollution. Gas stations, print shops, household products like paints and cleaners, as well as lawn and garden equipment also add significantly to the ozone smog.

When air quality is forecast to be unhealthy, EPA asks the public to take ozone action. Employees and employers can help reduce ozone-smog by following certain guidelines:

• use public transportation, bike or walk whenever possible
• if you must drive, car pool and combine trips
• go to the gas station at night to cut down on gasoline vapors getting into the air during day light hours when the sun can cook the vapors and form ozone
• use less electricity - turn air conditioning to a higher temperature, turn out lights and computer screens when you're not using them
• avoid using gasoline powered engines, such as lawn mowers, chain saws, leaf blowers on unhealthy air days.

Citizens can also sign up at this web address to receive smog alerts from EPA's New England office. Smog Alert is a free service provided by EPA in conjunction with the New England states that automatically notifies subscribers by e-mail or fax when high concentrations of ground-level ozone are predicted in their area. Smog Alerts are issued to notify interested persons of predicted poor air quality in specific geographical areas of New England throughout the summer smog season, May through September.