Indiana agency: High ozone may mean breathing woes for some

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana's environmental agency is warning that high ozone levels expected statewide Tuesday could make it hard for some Hoosiers to breathe.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management issued a statewide Air Quality Action Day on Monday, saying that high levels of ground-level ozone, or smog, are forecast for Tuesday.

The poor air quality will come as the National Weather Service forecasts temperatures will climb well into the 90s Tuesday across the state.

Ozone in the upper atmosphere blocks ultraviolet radiation, but ozone near the ground is a lung irritant that can cause coughing and breathing difficulties for sensitive populations.

IDEM said elderly people, children and people with heart or lung conditions should reduce their physical exertion during the air quality advisory. Anyone sensitive to air quality changes may face coughing and breathing difficulties.

Ground-level ozone forms when sunlight and hot weather bake vehicle exhaust, factory emissions and gasoline vapors.

Hoosiers can help reduce smog during the air quality advisory by driving less, using public transportation, carpooling, combining errands into a single trip and making other changes to daily habits, IDEM said.

To learn more about ozone or to sign up for air quality alerts, visit SmogWatch.IN.gov.