Forecasters issued the first red alert of the year for today's smog levels. State officials expect the region's current spell of bad air to linger through this week.
WHAT TO KNOW
Children and people with heart and lung diseases, including asthma, are particularly at risk. Experts advise even healthy people plan outdoor exercise in the morning or evening, or go to a gym.
Breathing too much ground-level ozone, a major part of smog, can cause coughing, shortness of breath and chest pain. For those with asthma, it can trigger an attack. For children, it may diminish lung function for the long-term.
WHAT TO DO
> Carpool, take public transportation, bicycle, walk or telecommute to work. If you drive, drive less by combining errands and carpooling or walking to get lunch.
> If you have to gas up today, do it after dark to minimize smog-forming vapors.
> Use less electricity. Power plants also contribute to smog, so turn off unnecessary lights and set the thermostat to 78 degrees or the maximum temperature you can tolerate.
FACTS ON SMOG
> Smog season is from May 1 to Sept. 30, when the heat cooks emissions from vehicles, power plants and factories to form ground-level ozone. The hotter the air, the more likely smog will form.
> If metro Atlanta's air hits the red zone today, it will be the second time this month.
> Pollution controls on power plants, more efficient cars and cleaner-burning gasoline have improved air quality here in the past three decades.
THE HEAT IS ON
Days of heat, days of smog in June
> 14: 90-degree or hotter days
> 15: Days without air-cleansing rain
> 10: Smoggy days above federal limit on ground-level ozone.
> 2 to 7 p.m.: Peak time for highest ozone level.
Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Georgia Environmental Protection Division and the Clean Air Campaign
Copyright 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution