One of the worst air pollutants is ground-level ozone. Ozone, although beneficial in the stratosphere for life, is dangerous at ground level – negatively impacting respiratory and other health conditions. Ground-level ozone is formed by heat and other pollutants, so it is often at its highest during summer months when people love to be outside. 

The Front Range of Colorado, which includes Longmont, is currently out of compliance with national air quality standards for ozone. The City of Longmont, alongside Boulder County, is working to provide education to residents on the dangers of ozone and steps to decrease ozone. For more information on how to track your impact and reduce ozone, visit Simple Steps Better Air.

Boulder County recently issued an alert about high ozone levels. An excerpt from the release states:

In 2018, the Boulder air quality monitor located at the Boulder Reservoir recorded the highest level of ground-level ozone in the Denver Metro/North Front Range area – 89 parts per billion (ppb) – on July 10, due to high temperatures (95°F) and abundant sunshine. So far in 2019, the Boulder monitoring site has already measured a concentration of 72 ppb. Ozone concentrations are considered to be unhealthy above 70 ppb.

“The hot and sunny weather over the past week, and due to come the rest of this week, creates a perfect environment for ozone formation,” said Cindy Copeland, Boulder County Public Health air quality specialist. “In addition to weather, ozone levels also rise when impacted by other pollutants, such as local emissions from vehicles and oil and gas production.”

Read the Full Boulder County news release here.