Ozone is a gas. It can be good or bad, depending on where it is. "Good" ozone occurs naturally about 10 to 30 miles above the Earth's surface. It shields us from the sun's ultraviolet rays. Part of the good ozone layer is gone - destroyed by man-made chemicals. Without enough good ozone, people may get too much ultraviolet radiation. This may increase the risk of skin cancer, cataracts and immune system problems.
"Bad" ozone is at ground level. It forms when pollutants from cars, factories and other sources react chemically with sunlight. It is the main ingredient in smog. It is usually worst in the summer. Breathing bad ozone can be harmful, causing coughing, throat irritation, worsening of asthma, bronchitis and emphysema, and even permanent lung damage, if you are regularly exposed to it.
Environmental Protection Agency
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Air Quality Guide for Ozone(Environmental Protection Agency) - Links to PDF - http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqguide.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://cfpub.epa.gov/airnow/index.cfm?action=static.guia
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Ozone and Your Health(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=static.brochure
Also available in Spanish http://cfpub.epa.gov/airnow/index.cfm?action=elozono.index
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Ozone
(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/ozone/
- Ozone Fact Sheet(American Lung Association) - http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=50328
- Ozone: Good Up High, Bad Nearby(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards) - http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/gooduphigh/
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Tox Town(National Library of Medicine) - Requires Flash Player - http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/espanol/
- Green Vehicle Guide(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/
- What You Should Know about Refrigerants When Purchasing or Repairing a Residential Air Conditioning System or Heat Pump(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/phaseout/22phaseout.html
- You Can Help Keep the Air Cleaner -- Every Day(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=jump.jump_youcando
- 8-Hour Ground-Level Ozone Designation FAQ's(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/ozonedesignations/faq.htm
- Brief Questions and Answers on Ozone Depletion(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/q_a.html
- Effects of Ozone Layer Depletion(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/effects/effects.html
- Ground-Level Ozone(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards) - http://www.epa.gov/air/ozonepollution/
- Effects of Ozone Pollution(American Association for Respiratory Care) - http://www.yourlunghealth.org/healthy_living/pollution/outdoor/effects/
- Greenhouse Gases(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) - http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/gases.html
- Ozone Air Purifiers: Can They Improve Asthma Symptoms?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/asthma/AN00443/METHOD=print
- Ozone Generators That Are Sold as Air Cleaners(Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environments Division) - http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html
- Ozone - Current Air Quality Index(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.showmap&pollutant=OZONE
- Process of Ozone Depletion(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/process.html
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Ozone(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Ozone%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Ambient ozone concentrations cause increased hospitalizations for asthma in children:... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18709165&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Adverse cardiovascular effects with acute particulate matter and ozone exposures:... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18709144&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Ambient ozone concentration and hospital admissions due to childhood respiratory... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18656858&tool=MedlinePlus
- Ozone -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=ozone[majr]+AND+english[la]&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Ozone Depletion Glossary(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/ozone/defns.html
- American Lung Association - http://www.lungusa.org/
- Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation - http://www.epa.gov/oar/
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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/community/espanol/
- Children and Ozone Air Pollution(American Lung Association) - http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=44567
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Ozone, Air Quality, and Asthma(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/managing_asthma/triggers/ozone_asthma.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/medicos/ozone_asthma_esp.html
- SunWise Kids: Ozone(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/kids/kids_ozone.html
- On the Trail of the Missing Ozone: The Causes, Effects, and Solutions to Ozone Depletion(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/missoz/index.html
- Effects of Ozone Pollution on Seniors(American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) - http://www.aaaai.org/patients/seniorsandasthma/ozone.stm
- Air Pollution - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/airpollution.html
- Poisoning, Toxicology, Environmental Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/poisoningtoxicologyenvironmentalhealth.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Ozone is the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/