By Larry Bruss Bruss is chief of the Ozone and SIP Development Section in the Bureau of Air Management. The changes reflect the federal agency's determination to address a variety of significant health impacts resulting from exposure to ozone and particulate matter.
Ozone impacts Ozone is one of the principal ingredients of smog.
A highly reactive gas, ozone forms in the atmosphere when nitrogen oxide compounds and volatile organic compounds react chemically in the presence of warm sunlight. Exposure to ozone has serious health effects which are most pronounced in children and those people with preexisting respiratory problems, such as asthma. It also can aggravate asthma, lead to additional hospital admissions, and impair the body's immune system, making people more susceptible to respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia. There is no threshold for the harmful effects of ozone exposure. In other words, the health effects from ozone exposure occur in some individuals even at concentrations well below the health standard.