Start of Ozone Season
Iris Image by blizniak from Pixabay
Spring is around the corner and with it marks the beginning of ozone season in Hood County and North Texas. Ozone is the main air pollution concern for Hood County as the county is considered an affected county for ozone meaning that the ozone levels are close to the EPA ozone standard that is considered protective of human health. Ozone is formed when nitrogen oxide tailpipe emissions from vehicles or smokestack emissions from industrial sites mix with volatile organic compounds from things like gasoline vapors and chemical solvents in the sunlight and heat. Because ozone is formed in sunlight and heat, ozone season includes the summer months as well as early spring and late fall when the weather is warmer. Ozone season runs from March 1st through November 30th in North Texas.
There are some simple things that we can all do help reduce the emissions that contribute to ozone formation. To reduce vehicle tailpipe emissions, you can limit vehicle trips by working remotely or attending meetings virtually when possible, carpooling, refueling late in the day, reducing idling, observing speed limits, and maintaining your vehicle including monitoring tire pressure. When it’s time to replace a vehicle, consider a clean vehicle option like an electric or hybrid option or a SmartWay vehicle from EPA’s SmartWay list at https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/find-smartway-vehicle. To reduce emissions from power plants, switch to LED lighting at home, make energy efficient home improvements, or simply turn things off when not in use! Even water conservation helps reduce energy use too! You can also sign up for ozone alert notifications through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) at https://www.tceq.texas.gov or Air North Texas at https://www.airntorthtexas.org to let you know when you need to pay extra attention to your clean air efforts.
