Ozone alert Ozone Alert During the hot days of summer, some cities have an extra item in their weather forecast that could have a big impact on health. The television weather forecaster tells you if it s going to be cloudy or sunny. If you live in a big city, you also may get an ozone forecast.
Ozone is produced when sunlight hits pollution from car exhaust.
It s part of what makes up smog, and it can be bad for you, especially if you have breathing problems. Ozone is good when it s high in the atmosphere, protecting us from some of the harmful rays of the sun. But when it hovers down around the ground, it s more of a pollutant. It irritates breathing passages, causing coughing and in some cases damaging the lungs. People with asthma and allergies are particularly at risk from ozone.