What you need to know about Kansas City’s air quality and ozone levels

When The Mid-America Regional Council issues an Ozone Alert for the Kansas City metro area, here’s what you should know:

Here’s what a Yellow Ozone Alert means: Elevated ozone levels are expected and people sensitive to ozone should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.

Here’s what an Orange Ozone Alert means: an unhealthy level of ground-level ozone pollution is expected and air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups — the very young and people with respiratory disease such as a asthma and heart disease.

Children and adults are encouraged to limit strenuous or prolonged outdoor activities.

Here’s what a Red Ozone Alert means: Unhealthy ozone levels. Active children and adults, and people sensitive to ozone should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.

What is ground-level ozone and how does it form? Ground-level ozone, also known as ozone pollution or smog, forms when emissions from vehicles, lawn mowers and power plants react with heat and sunlight. While industrial and chemical plants contribute to the problem, more than half of all ozone pollution is caused by everyday people doing everyday activities.

Why is it bad and who is at risk? The pollution makes it difficult for lungs to absorb oxygen, making you cough. Ozone pollution is harmful for everyone, especially for people with respiratory problems such as asthma. Children are also at high risk when the ozone level reaches “Alert” status.

Where do I find Kansas City’s air quality? The SkyCast is the ozone forecast for the Kansas City region. Consider it a forecast telling you what conditions are most likely for the next day.

You can find the SkyCast on MARC’s website, on Twitter, via email, on local news or call the Air Quality Information Line at 816-701-8287.

What do all the SkyCast colors mean? Here’s the breakdown: The SkyCast uses colors let you know the air quality and what steps you need to take steps to protect your health.

Here’s what the colors mean:

• Green: Healthy air quality with no health impact expected.
• Yellow: Elevated ozone levels and people sensitive to ozone should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
• Orange: Unhealthy ozone levels for sensitive groups. Active children and adults, and people sensitive to ozone should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
• Red: Unhealthy ozone levels. Active children and adults, and people sensitive to ozone should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.

What can I do to protect my health and reduce pollution? There are several things you can be doing including:

• Limit strenuous outside activities or work or reschedule the activity to before 10 a.m. after 7 p.m.
• Stay indoors in a well-ventilated or air-conditioned building.
• Drive less by combining several trips into one or rescheduling for a cooler day. Carpool or use public transportation. Walk or bike ride, preferably early in the morning or later in the day.
• Wait to fuel up your care with gasoline. If you must fill your tank, do so after dusk. And avoid “topping off” the tank.
• Postpone any lawn or garden work that uses gas-powered equipment until the Ozone Alert is over.

For more actions you can take to reduce pollution go to http://AirQKC.org

This story was originally published June 16, 2021 at 4:20 PM.