There are thousands of children, elderly and persons with respiratory problems in the Greater St. Louis Region, who are particularly vulnerable to the effects of ozone, and each year many food crops are damaged by low-lying ozone. Click here for to enlarge and to see the number of people in St. Louis with lung disease.
Chemists say the materials damaged by ozone include rubber, nylon, plastics, dyes and paints.
Emissions that cause ozone also pollute the St. Louis Region. High concentrations of ground-level ozone can cause shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, headaches, nausea, and eye and throat irritation. There have been studies where healthy adults are exposed to various levels of ozone. The results show that even healthy adults can experience decreased function of their lungs when exposed to ozone. People who suffer from lung diseases like emphysema, bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma and colds have even more trouble breathing when the air is polluted.