Ozone Alert In Effect For Today

Friday is Tulsa's second Ozone Alert day of the season. <br/><br/>Usually it's one of the signs of summer. Temperatures spike and ozone alerts flash. That has not been the case this summer. <br/><br/>"So

Friday, August 3rd 2007, 4:39 am

By: News On 6

Friday is Tulsa's second Ozone Alert day of the season.

Usually it's one of the signs of summer. Temperatures spike and ozone alerts flash. That has not been the case this summer.

"So this is unusual that we haven't had to issue the alerts until August," Air Quality Program Manager Nancy Graham said.

Last year, there were 12 alerts starting in May, the year before that there were 13, the city exceeded environmental standards 14 times in those two years. With just two alerts so far in 2007, it seems like the city can breathe easy. But environmentalists warn that even one bad day this year can really hurt our three-year average.

"That number is going to hurt us in the average, the three year average that the EPA uses to determine if the Tulsa area goes on the dirty air list," Graham said.

Graham says this isn't just an environmental issue, but a public health problem. High rates of ozone can make it tougher for folks with asthma and other lung conditions.

"We only have a few days a year when ozone alerts are issued, and we ask folks to do what they can do to help reduce the pollution that's already in the air," said Graham.

Keeping Tulsa's air clean can be as simple as putting off mowing your lawn or catching a 50-cent bus ride to work.

"There's just a whole lot of things that we can do that help the air quality and the pollution that's already in the air. And it helps those who have problems breathing on those ozone alert days too," Graham said.

This summer's wet weather has kept ozone at bay, but there's still plenty of time for the mercury to rise and the risk of ozone levels to go up.

"We still live in an area that's clean and not on the EPA's dirty air list and we want to keep it that way," said Graham.

If you have to drive, avoid idling, turn off your air conditioner in the early morning and slow down to less than 60 miles per hour, plus wait until the evening hours to fill up your car. These simple tips can help improve Tulsaâ€™s air quality.

For more information about Ozone Alert days and the health effects of it, click here.