DNREC and the Air Quality Partnership of Delaware are encouraging residents to pay attention to daily ozone levels.
DNREC Deputy Secretary David Small says between May and September ozone levels rise, often to unhealthy levels.
“It really comes with hot weather," said Small. "Typically we get very warm days with stagnant air and lots of sunshine and it causes a chemical reaction in the atmosphere that can be a problem for especially the susceptible populations of our elderly and our children.”
DNREC uses eight monitoring stations throughout the state and data from elsewhere in the region to offer daily air quality forecasts. It will declare Air Quality Action days to warn those at risk when levels are at their worst.
Small says that allows those susceptible populations to better cope.
“Some folks have problems breathing and they have asthma that may be related to air quality issues. So knowing that, and preparing for that and adjusting your lifestyle if you can when you know those kind of weather events are going to occur during the summer can be a healthy thing to do,” said Small.
Ozone is an issue up and down the First State. All three Delaware counties received failing ozone grades last week in a new American Lung Association air quality report card.
While pollution from business and industrial sources - and from out of state - are a large part of the problem, Small says individuals can help cut down on ozone. He suggests carpooling and using public transit, or walking or biking instead of driving to lower harmful emissions.
The latest air quality forecast for Delaware can be found at DNREC's website.
