Oklahoma ozone alert is not OK
By Jim Roth | Phillips Murrah P.C. |
The Journal Record
[ JUNE 22, 2009 - OKLAHOMA CITY, OK ] - On June 5, air quality concerns prompted environmental officials from the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments to issue the first ozone alert day of the year with the prospect of increased levels of air pollution in the central Oklahoma region. The Department of Environmental Quality issued an ozone air quality health advisory also on that day for four additional counties: Osage, Ottawa, Tulsa and Washington.
The Clean Air Act of 1990 requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish standards for air pollution. EPA has done so by establishing measurable standards for six critical pollutants, including ozone and carbon monoxide. Primary standards are established for public health, with particular concern paid to those most vulnerable like children, the elderly and asthmatics.
There are secondary standards established for such things as decreased visibility, building damage, crop damage and animal health. Monitoring stations across Oklahoma are measuring these pollutants on a regular basis and when they reach a level of concern, an alert is issued. It is hoped that alerts will result in people in the concerned area reducing their generation of pollutants. The standards dictate that continuous violations can result in a requirement to develop and implement a plan to reduce pollution.
An 18-year study by the New England Journal of Medicine was the first to show that long-term, low-level exposure to ozone also can be lethal. The findings show that ozone worsens conditions that already kill a large number of people. Deaths from respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and pneumonia, account for about 8.5 percent of all U.S. deaths, an estimated 240,000 each year.
EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee reiterated nearly a year ago that its members were “unanimous in recommending” the agency set the standard no higher than 70 parts per million (ppm) and to consider a limit as low as 60 ppm. EPA’s Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee and public health advocates lobbied for the 60 ppm limit because children are more vulnerable to air pollution. The current EPA standard is 75 ppm.
There can be a real negative economic impact from a failure to implement a plan and even more in health cost. The American Lung Association estimates that air pollution costs America $50 billion a year in health care costs, or about $200 per year for every man, woman and child. Costs can be even higher in states like Oklahoma. According to a study done by MIT, ozone levels tend to be highest in regions where crops are grown, in part because the crops are fertilized. The study estimates crop damage costs are $5 billion to $10 billion a year.
Ozone reduction is not a problem just for industry; it is estimated that individuals generate more than 50 percent of the ozone pollutants. Automobiles and gasoline-powered engines are a primary source, but even drying paint, exposed solvents and charcoal grills contribute. Fortunately there are many things that we can do to help with ozone reduction.
A great option for those in Oklahoma City is riding the bus on ozone alert days, which is free this year on those days. Call 235-RIDE for route information.
Here are some great tips from the Oklahoma Sustainability Network Web site:
• Car pool or ride the bus to work or school.
• Walk or ride a bicycle for short trips during morning hours when ozone levels are lower.
• Wait until evening to refuel your automobile or mow your lawn.
• Arrive and leave work a little earlier or later than usual to decrease rush-hour traffic.
• Drive your most fuel-efficient vehicle.
• Make sure gas caps on vehicles, lawn mowers and other equipment seal properly.
• Trip chain, combine errands to make one trip instead of several.
• Limit idling time in your vehicle.
• Limit the use of drive-through windows.
• Limit the use of charcoal starter fluid and other products that contain hydrocarbons.
• Postpone normally permissible outdoor burning to a non-ozone-watch day.
• Limit or postpone the use of two-cycle engines (i.e. lawn mowers, weed eaters, motorboats and motorcycles).
We can all take steps to try to help with Oklahoma’s air quality solutions. Plus, ozone alert days give those of us looking for an excuse a great reason to not mow the lawn.
For more information about Oklahoma’s air quality, please visit http://www.deq.state.ok.us/AQDnew/index.htm.
Jim Roth, a former Oklahoma corporation commissioner, is an attorney with Phillips Murrah P.C. in Oklahoma City, where his practice focuses on clean, green energy for Oklahoma.