Symptoms include coughing, throat irritation, chest pain when inhaling deeply, and breathing difficulty. Ozone also can increase the susceptibility of the lungs to infections, allergens and other air pollutants. Annually, approximately 4,000 individuals in the St. Louis area are hospitalized for asthma, many of these visits occurring when the air quality is at its worst. Groups that are sensitive to ozone include children who are active outdoors, outdoor workers, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma or emphysema. Even healthy individuals can feel the effects of poor air quality when exercising outdoors.
Automobiles are one of the most significant causes of air pollution.
In fact, mobile sources, including automobiles account for about 30 percent of the emissions that form ground-level ozone in our region. People in St. Louis drive more than 55 million miles every day, producing over 125 tons of ozone forming hydrocarbons daily. A single highway lane can accommodate 2,250 people per hour in cars and 9,000 people per hour in buses. Two MetroLink tracks have the same capacity as 16 lanes of highway. During April, the first month of the Gateway Clean Air Program, more than 27,000 inspections were performed.