This ozone is a result of emissions from burning fossil fuels in factories and power plants, and the fuel in motor vehicles mixing with heat and sun. It can aggravate health problems for people with heart and breathing-related ailments such as asthma and emphysema, and can be especially harmful to children and the elderly. It can lower immune systems and make people more susceptible to colds, pneumonia and infections, as well as cause eye and nose irritations. This inhibits plant growth and reproduction, and weakens the ability of plants to survive disease, insect attacks and extreme weather conditions. Ozone can reduce agricultural yields and damage crops.
Ozone can cause deterioration of buildings and man-made materials.
Today, people in Illinois breathe cleaner air than they did during previous decades. Technological improvements have significantly reduced emissions from businesses and industry, while better emission control systems, cleaner burning fuels and an effective vehicle emissions inspection program have reduced ozone levels by 21 percent and carbon monoxide levels by 49 percent. The overall trend shows improvement in air quality, but continual increases in the number of vehicles on the road and more significant increases in the number of miles driven each year present new challenges in reducing air pollution. The Environmental Impact of Vehicle Emissions Vehicle emissions are responsible for up to 50 percent of the emissions that form ground-level ozone and up to 90 percent of carbon monoxide in major metropolitan areas. For decades, vehicles have been equipped with increasingly sophisticated emission control systems and devices.