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Ozone Levels in Metroplex Worrisome

Posted on: Monday, 8 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

Aug. 6--Ozone levels have been high this week, and some area physicians say the pollution has affected their patients' health.

Monitors in Tarrant County recorded ground-level ozone levels this week considered unsafe for even the healthiest adults. Ozone in Keller and Eagle Mountain Lake on Tuesday was among the highest recorded anywhere this year in Texas, according to state data.

And ozone in Fort Worth, Grapevine, Denton and Dallas was nearly as bad, reaching levels that can cause asthma attacks and scar the lungs, state data show.

State regulators have issued a Level Orange ozone watch for today, meaning that pollution could reach levels considered unhealthy for older adults, children and those with respiratory problems.

"Its been a bad ozone summer," said Dr. Richard Wasserman, a Dallas-based physician specializing in pediatric allergies, asthma and immunology.

Wasserman and Dr. Stuart McDonald, a Fort Worth pulmonologist who treats adults with respiratory problems, say the pollution this week inflamed the conditions of some of their patients who have bronchitis, emphysema and other respiratory ailments.

"There's definitely a correlation," McDonald said. "The problem is real."

The nine-county Dallas-Fort Worth region does not meet federal ozone standards and faces a 2010 deadline to comply or face severe federal sanctions.

While all of Dallas-Fort Worth is under an ozone watch today, air quality will not be bad everywhere.

The region's 18 ozone monitors cover hundreds of square miles and frequently show wildly different pollution levels on any given day.

One of the main reasons for the variation is wind direction, state officials say.

On Monday and Tuesday, winds blew out of the northeast and east, said Tara Dudzik, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth.

That contributed to high ozone both days in Fort Worth, Keller and Eagle Mountain Lake, northwest of Fort Worth, state records show.

Today, northeast winds are expected, Dudzik said. And the central and western sections of the Metroplex are at the most risk of high ozone, said Bryan Lambeth, a senior meteorologist at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Residents concerned about air quality in their corner of the Metroplex should consult the state's Web site for details.

STAYING SAFE

Ground-level ozone is regulated because it is a health concern. At high concentrations it can cause asthma attacks and aggravate bronchitis, emphysema and a host of other respiratory ailments.

How to protect yourself:

--Monitor daily air-quality forecasts during ozone season, May through October.

--Avoid outdoor activity in the afternoon, when the sunlight and heat can turn pollution from automobiles and industry into ozone.

--During bad ozone days, encourage children to participate in less strenuous outdoor activities such as recreational swimming or indoor activities such as gymnastics.

--Avoid congested streets and congested highways during rush hour, when pollution can exceed federal health guidelines as far as 50 feet from roads.

Source: American Lung Association

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Copyright (c) 2005, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas

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Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas)

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