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High level of ozone triggers warnings
By BILL VARIAN and CRAIG PITTMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, As a lifelong smoker, William Hood feels the smog days of summer more than some. "Sometimes in the summer, the air gets to be almost soup," said Hood, 61. Call it ozone soup. And on Tuesday, weather watchers from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Manatee counties declared the soup thick enough to encourage people with respiratory problems -- particularly the elderly and children -- to stay inside. Some county officials also are encouraging residents to cut down on driving, mowing, painting and using electricity, activities that produce pollutants that contribute to high levels of ozone. The main culprit, however, is stagnant weather caused by a large high-pressure system over central Florida working to trap ozone close to the ground "like a paper towel," said Frank Alsheimer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Ruskin. Weather conditions are ripe for continued high ozone concentrations through today, and possibly Thursday, from southern Pasco to northern Manatee counties. The stagnant, dry conditions began on Sunday, "building up the air pollution levels in the whole region," said Peter Hessling, Pinellas County's air quality administrator. Ralph Paul of Sarasota County's environmental management said the ozone problems in Manatee and Sarasota counties are likely the result of pollution spreading south from the Tampa Bay area. Pollution spewed from coal-burning power plants -- such as the Tampa Electric Co. plants in Apollo Beach and Tampa -- and poorly tuned automobiles build the foundation for the air pollution problem. Steady rain can wash the skies clean, as can steady breezes. But August has been a dry month on top of a record-breaking drought. When trapped by high pressure, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxide bake in the hot sun, creating ozone, a precursor to smog. Indeed, the same immobile weather system has contributed to a nearly opaque haze over downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg, and dank air. Starting late Monday afternoon, ozone levels surpassed levels scientists consider safe for people with respiratory problems. "Ozone levels tend to build over the course of the day," said Larry Shelton, assistant director of the air management division of the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission. "The soup has to cook for a while." Ozone irritates the mucous membranes. It can lead to sore throats, chest pains, coughing and headaches. Ozone particularly afflicts children and the elderly, and it also settles into rivers and bays, polluting the water, and harms plant life, affecting farmers. This week's high ozone levels will make life miserable for hundreds of thousands of Tampa Bay residents. The American Lung Association estimates that 105,000 respiratory patients are in Pinellas County, 104,000 in Hillsborough, about 38,000 in Pasco County, 28,000 in Manatee County and 36,000 in Sarasota County. The association tells those respiratory patients to "stay indoors, stay out of it," said John Chancellor of the American Lung Association's Gulfcoast chapter. Chancellor joked that the best way to deal with the problem right now is "Exhale only!" Despite the conditions, joggers, in-line skaters and bicyclists coasted along Bayshore Boulevard as usual Tuesday. Chris Griffin, 47, a Tampa lawyer who was doing his regular sprint workout on the popular trail, said he hadn't noticed any adverse effects. What struck him was the haze. Normally he can see downtown St. Petersburg from his 27th floor office in the AmSouth Bank building in downtown Tampa. "Today, I couldn't see the Interbay peninsula," Griffin said. Hood, the lifelong smoker, on the other hand, said he was having trouble breathing. Still, he was walking the beach Tuesday at North Shore Park in St. Petersburg with his daughter and granddaughter, visiting from Kentucky. "They're only in town a couple times a year," Hood said. "I stay in, mostly, but you can't be a hermit." - Times staff writer Mike Brassfield contributed to this report. What is ozone?Ozone is a highly reactive gas that is a form of oxygen. It results primarily from the action of sunlight on hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides emitted in fuel combustion. Those at risk from high ozone levels include:People with pre-existing respiratory disease, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema People who exercise outdoors Children and the elderly Ozone exposure may lead to:Shortness of breath Chest pain when inhaling deeply Wheezing and coughing -- Source: American Lung Association
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