At ground level, ozone is considered a pollutant that can cause inflammation and irritation of the respiratory tract . It also poses a hazard to our environment by reducing crop yields, and can damage trees, forests, and other plant life. High concentrations of ground-level ozone can cause shortness of breath , coughing, wheezing , headaches, nausea and eye and throat irritation. People who suffer from lung diseases such as emphysema, bronchitis , pneumonia, asthma, and colds have even more trouble breathing when the air is polluted. These effects can be worse in children, the elderly, and exercising adults.
Children often play outside during hot, muggy summer afternoons.
Their lungs are still developing, and they breathe more rapidly and inhale more air pollution per pound of body weight than adults. On days when smog levels are high, these factors put children at increased risk for respiratory problems . Adults breathe about 20,000 times each day. During exercise or strenuous work, we breathe more often and draw air more deeply into our lungs. When we exercise heavily, we may breathe in up to ten times more air than we breathe when we are resting.