Two die from carbon monoxide poisoning
Topeka Capital Journal
A Topeka woman and her 25-year-old son died Saturday night from carbon monoxide poisoning, city spokesman David Bevens said Monday. Bevens said the woman, her son and another man who may have been the woman's husband had a car ...
Living in a Combustion Culture: OZONE ALERT
State of the Air: 2011 Report: State of the Air 2011
American Lung Association
For 12 years, the American Lung Association has analyzed data from state air quality monitors to compile the State of the Air report. ......... Even low levels of ozone may be deadly. A large study of 48 U.S. cities looked at the association between ozone and all-cause mortality during the summer months. Ozone concentrations by city in the summer months ranged from 16 percent to 80 percent lower than EPA currently considers safe. Researchers found that ozone at those lower levels was associated with deaths from cardiovascular disease, strokes, and respiratory causes.
You may have wondered why “ozone action day” warnings are sometimes followed by recommendations to avoid activities such as mowing your lawn or refilling your gas tank during daylight hours. Lawn mower exhaust and gasoline vapors are VOCs that could turn into ozone in the heat and sun. Take away the sunlight and ozone doesn’t form, so refilling your gas tank after dark is better on high ozone days. Since we can’t control sunlight and heat, we must reduce the chemical raw ingredients if we want to reduce ozone.
Who is at risk from breathing ozone?Five groups of people are especially vulnerable to the effects of breathing ozone:
•children and teens;
•anyone 65 and older;
•people who work or exercise outdoors;
•people with existing lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (also known as COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis); and
•“responders” who are otherwise healthy but for some reason react more strongly to ozone.
