Ozone levels become unsafe when they exceed a health standard of 124 parts per billion. Just a single hour of exposure to ozone at this level can cause reactions like shortness of breath, coughing, headaches, nausea, and respiratory discomfort. Like sunburn on you skin, ozone can burn cells in the lung's airways, ultimately leading to permanent lung damage. Plants also suffer the effects of ozone. It can reduce plant yields and affect the quality of crops such as corn, wheat and soybeans, making them less valuable on the market.
Ozone also corrodes man-made materials such as textiles and rubber.
The Ozone Action Partnership is a group of businesses, government agencies and citizens, working with meteorologists to forecast high levels of ground-level ozone and get the word out to the Ozone Action Partners. Ground-level ozone forms when pollutants from vehicles, paints and solvents, unburned fuel, and industrial sources bake in hot sunny weather. Ground-level ozone can cause health problems for the young, the elderly, and those with respiratory ailments. Even healthy individuals exposed to high levels of ground-level ozone for one hour can experience shortness of breath, coughing, headaches, nausea, and respiratory discomfort. When an Ozone Action Day is announced by either the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection or the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the Ozone Action Partnership and Cross County Connection will inform you immediately through the Member Broadcast Facsimile Network.