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Those with concerns about the safety of air quality in Maine should check out the State of Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s newest Web site, www.state.me.us/dep/air/ozone.
An older version of the Web site was developed about five years ago and the revision of the site was launched this past May, according to Jen Desimone, senior meteorologist for the DEP’s Bureau of Air Quality.
“[The main purpose of the site] is to get the public involved and tell them what the ozone forecasts are, so that they can determine if it’s going to be unhealthy for them that particular day,” Desimone said.
The DEP’s Web site offers 24-hour forecasts and fact sheets on pollutants. The site monitors 15 research sites around the state with information is updated every hour.
“By having it updated every day, [people] can take action accordingly to each particular day,” Desimone said. “It lets people see exactly what’s going on outside every hour of the day.”
There is data on the DEP Web site from 1990-2002 so people can look back and see when the quality of air was at its best and worst.
The homepage of the DEP’s Web site offers a “24-Hour Ozone Forecast,” as well as a “24-Hour Particulate Matter Forecast.” Both give a rating for the northern, interior and coastal areas of Maine and state if it will be healthy for people to go outside, according to Desimone.
“The air quality forecast is based on four categories and each has a meaning,” Desimone said.
Green means good and has no health notice; yellow means moderate with a limited health notice; orange means unhealthy for sensitive groups and a health notice; red means unhealthy and a health advisory; and purple means very unhealthy and is a health alert, according to Desimone.
“Mostly, no area experiences the purple index,” Desimone said.
High concentrations of ozone may come from automobiles, gasoline storage and transfer, large combustion and industry sources, and industrial use of solvents and consumer products such as paints and cleaners, according to the web site.
Health side effects that may arise from high concentrations of ozone may include coughing, wheezing, asthma attacks or a difficult time breathing, according to Desimone.
“It inhibits the lungs’ ability to function correctly,” she said.
Those with emphysema, bronchitis or lung disease are especially susceptible to the health side effects of high concentrations of ozone.
Children are the most at risk for these side effects, according to the Web site. Children’s lungs are not fully developed and so they breathe in more air.
“If they’re outside during times of high pollutant or ozone levels they’re going to be exposed to it,” Desimone said.
Healthy adults are also at a high risk of side effects from ozone exposure. Those who exercise outside during times of high concentrations of ozone or pollutants respond much more severely to ozone exposure than those who are at rest, according to the site.
As each category of the Air Quality Index indicates a different health effect, it is important for people to figure out where they are in these categories.
“Basically, it’s as an educational standpoint,” Desimone said. “People should learn how sensitive they are and what levels they are really susceptible to, and gear accordingly [the] kinds of activities they will do to help their health.”
More information is available by calling 287-2437.
