Ozone Action Days
Ozone Action Days (OAD) is a public awareness program of Metroplan in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Arkansas Department of Health, and the Arkansas Department of Transportation. The program is designed to keep you informed about potentially harmful ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone is the bad type of ozone that is created when pollutants mix with sunlight. Breathing this type of ozone can cause a number of problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion.
What is Ozone Action Days?
Beginning in 1998, Ozone Action Days is a program where transportation agencies work to increase public awareness of ozone-related health risks and ways to reduce ozone precursor emissions. “Ozone Action Alerts” are declared when ozone forecasts indicate that the next day’s conditions could support the formation of high concentrations of ground level ozone. The Ozone Action Days program emphasis is on providing notification about predicted high ozone episodes with suggestions for voluntary actions to protect public health, especially those populations identified as most at risk, and ways in which individuals and groups can work to reduce the production of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds released into our air.
There are currently two basic types of Ozone Action Days:
- An Ozone Action Advisory will be declared when the Air Quality Index (AQI) forecast is code orange, indicating that prolonged outdoor exertion is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
- An Ozone Action Alert will be declared when the AQI forecast is code red, indicating that prolonged outdoor exertion is unhealthy for everyone.
The Ozone forecasting season is May 1st – September 30th
For more information
Allergy & Asthma Network
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Information on how to control allergies and asthma.
Air Quality Guide for Ozone
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The Air Quality Index (AQI) explained.
It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air
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Information for the public regarding the impact of their transportation choices on traffic congestion and air quality.
Rock Region METRO (RRM)
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A participant in the OAD program, RRM provides public transportation services in Pulaski County.