Nearly 26 million children under the age of 13 and 2 million children with asthma will potentially be exposed to unhealthy levels of ozone this summer. On high ozone days, emergency room visits and hospital admissions for respiratory problems can as much as double. The stronger new standards are the result of court action taken by the American Lung Association against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Kids are more vulnerable to air pollution than adults because their airways are smaller.
They spend lots of time outdoors, of course, and when they play hard, they breathe hard. But as they breathe more rapidly, they take in more air and air pollution per body weight than adults do. National statistics show that children spend an average of 50 percent more time outdoors than do adults. Many local areas also use colors to correspond with the categories to simplify air quality warnings throughout the smog season, usually from May to September. Ozone is produced primarily when sunlight acts on hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides emitted into the air during fuel combustion.