Ozone alert issued for Kansas City as air quality becomes the worst it’s been in years
An air quality alert has been issued Wednesday, the ninth time this year smog was expected to reach unhealthy levels across the Kansas City area, according to the Mid-America Regional Council.
The poor air quality is forecast to fall under an orange ozone alert, which means an unhealthy level of ground-level ozone, also known as ozone pollution or smog, is expected for people sensitive to pollution, according to the agency, which commonly referred to as MARC. The outdoor Air Quality Index is forecast to be 101, with ozone being the primary pollutant.
MARC has issued more ozone alerts this year than the past three years combined and is on the verge of eclipsing 2018, when 10 alerts were issued.
“The MARC Air Quality Team is monitoring the rest of June because conditions are set up for high ozone pollution levels,” the agency said on Twitter Tuesday.
Ozone pollution is formed when exhaust from vehicles, lawn and garden equipment and other sources react in heat and sunlight. Warm, sunny weather as well as low wind speeds and lack of rain increase the likelihood of poor air quality, according to MARC.
“We’ve been hit twice now with multi-day stretches of ozone pollution above the federal health standard, from June 3-9 and then again June 14-16,” Doug Norsby, MARC senior environmental planner, said in a posting online.
“During this time, we even registered a red — unhealthy — 8-hour average at two monitors on June 6. The month continues to look troublesome as conditions are once again set up for high ozone pollution levels this week.”
People with health problems might be affected more by the pollution, which can cause wheezing, coughing and difficulty breathing.
On ozone alert days, people and businesses are urged to avoid activities that create more ozone, including refueling vehicles and mowing lawns. Active children and adults and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion, according to MARC.
This story was originally published June 21, 2023 at 6:59 AM.
