One factor that can significantly impact your allergies this summer may be completely out of your control. Air pollutants, Ozone in particular, are capable of worsening your allergy and asthmatic symptoms.
Ozone is created in the atmosphere by a combination of sunlight, nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons from burning fuel. Emissions from motor vehicles, power plants, industrial facilities, spray painting and a number of other sources produce the compounds that lead to the creation of ozone. The stronger sunlight and calmer winds during summer can create clouds of ozone around some cities. Large urban areas have greater instances of ozone because of the higher concentration of people and air pollutants they produce. Los Angeles, due to its hot arid climate, geological features and the large number of people, is plagued with some of the highest concentrations of the pollutant the country.
Ozone gets into your body the way most respiratory allergens do: you breathe it in. It then irritates your mucous membranes, especially the respiratory tract. Ozone causes constriction of the airways, which makes breathing difficult and produces coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. This pollutant also increases the vulnerability of your lungs to infection.
Although the Environmental Protection Agency is considering lowering the minimum allowed concentration of ozone per ambient air each hour – it now stands at 0.12 parts per million – there are many cities that are unable to meet even the current standard.
There may not be much you can do to protect yourself from the ill-effects of ozone when outdoors, besides using a respirator mask. However, you can still take measures inside your home or office with an air purifier like the Airfree Onix 3000. Allergybegone.com offers a wide range of these products to suit every need whether it be protection from household irritants like cat dander or pollutants like ozone.
