Children, the elderly and people with weak or damaged respiratory systems are all at some risk. This could result in reduced quality of life as people age. Children are most at risk from exposure to ozone because their respiratory systems are still developing. Ground-level ozone is a summertime threat when children are outside playing and exercising at summer camps, pools, playgrounds, parks and backyards. An average adult breathes 13,000 liters of air per day.
Children breathe even more per pound of body weight than adults.
Ozone can aggravate asthma, causing more asthma attacks, increased use of medication, more medical treatment and more visits to hospital emergency clinics. More children than adults are asthmatic, and asthma is increasing alarmingly as a cause of death among children. Repeated exposure can cause lasting lung damage.