To see what you're missing, please enable JavaScript in your browser preferences. Because heat and sunlight are important factors in ground-level ozone formation, ozone pollution is worse during the months of April through October. The Ozone Action Days program is based upon a color-coded system for communicating the expected level of ozone pollution and corresponding health risks and suggested actions . When a Code Red day is forecast, alerts are issued through the news media, emails, faxes, and web sites.
Ozone can be good or bad, depending upon where it is located.
Ozone in the upper stratosphere protects human health and the environment, but ground-level ozone can be harmful to both. Ground-level ozone is produced by the combination of pollutants from many sources, including smokestacks, motor vehicles, paints, lawn mowers, solvents and household products. How Ground-Level Ozone Affects Human Health High concentrations of ozone can cause shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, headaches, nausea, eye and throat irritation and reduced immune function. People who suffer from lung diseases such as emphysema, pneumonia, and asthma have even more trouble breathing in polluted air. These effects can be more severe in children, the elderly and exercising adults.