Millions of Texans were urged to take measures to reduce pollution on Monday as the National Weather Service (NWS) announced an air quality alert for the Houston, Galveston, and Brazoria area.
Why It Matters
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cautions that people most at risk from breathing air containing ozone include those with asthma, children, older adults and people who are active outdoors.
The agency says health problems caused by ozone may include coughing, difficulty breathing, and inflamed and damaged airways.
What To Know
An air quality alert published by the NWS said the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality had issued an ozone action day for the Houston, Galveston, and Brazoria area on Monday.
“Atmospheric conditions are expected to be favorable for producing high levels of ozone pollution in the Houston, Galveston, and surrounding areas on Monday,” the alert said.
Residents in the affected areas were urged to help reduce pollution by taking steps such as carpooling, walking, biking, avoiding drive-through lines, and keeping their vehicles properly tuned.
Newsweek reached out to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for comment via email, outside of standard working hours on Monday.
On Sunday, an air quality alert was in effect for the Dallas-Fort Worth area, also due to ozone.
Additional air quality alerts were in place for parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon.
In Colorado, alerts affecting multiple counties were in place due to wildfire smoke.
A notice for southeastern Dolores and northern Montezuma Counties warned that locations near the Stoner Mesa Fire, including Highway 145 and the Stoner area were experiencing heavy smoke, which was expected to continue through Monday morning.
An alert was also in force for western Eagle and eastern Garfield Counties due to smoke from the Derby Fire.
According to a Watch Duty map, the Stoner Mesa and Derby Fires had burned 10,233 acres and 5,346 acres, respectively.
In Idaho, alerts prompted by wildfire smoke covered Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, and Nez Perce Counties, as well as the Nez Perce Reservation
These were in effect until Monday morning at the time of writing.
Wyoming’s Upper Green River Basin and Western Wind River Mountains, including the towns of the towns of Pinedale, Big Piney/Marbleton, Hoback, and Farson were also under alerts, again due to wildfire smoke.
“Smoke from the Dollar Lake Wildfire continues to be observed across portions of western and central Wyoming. The smoke is limiting visibilities at times, especially at higher elevations in the Wind River Mountains,” the alert, which was in effect until 1 p.m. on Monday, said.
In Oregon, alerts warned of both wildfire smoke and ozone impacts and affected areas including Lane County and the Portland metropolitan area, respectively.
What People Are Saying
AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham told Newsweek previously: “Ozone is a secondary pollutant, meaning it’s not emitted directly from sources, but is formed through chemical reactions. These reactions require sunlight and higher temperatures, making warmer months more prone to ozone formation. When air is stagnant, pollutants don’t get dispersed, allowing ozone to build up to unhealthy levels.”
What Happens Next
Regular forecast updates are issued by the NWS on its website.
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