The Gulf of Maine Expedition 2002

Ozone and Your Health

Ozone, the main ingredient of smog, presents a serious air quality problem. Even at low levels, ozone can cause a number of respiratory effects.

Ozone is a gas that occurs both in the Earth's upper atmosphere (the stratosphere) and lower atmosphere (the troposphere). Ozone can be good or bad, depending on where it is found.

Good ozone. Ozone occurs naturally in the stratosphere – 10 to 30 miles above the Earth's surface – where it shields us from the Sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.

Bad ozone. In the troposhere, near ground level, ozone is formed when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources react chemically in the presence of sunlight. Ozone pollution is of particular concern during the summer months when the weather conditions needed to form ground-level ozone – lots of sunlight and hot temperatures – normally occur.

Several groups of people are particularly sensitive to ozone, especially when they are active outdoors, because physical activity causes people to breathe faster and more deeply:

1. Children who spend a large part of the summer playing outdoors.

2. Active adults of all ages who exercise or work vigorously outdoors.

3. People with asthma or other respiratory diseases.

For more information, visit the EPA website at www.epa.gov/airnow/brochure.

Test Procedure:

Our tests are done with the Eco-badge Smog Patrol Kit. Each patch is
exposed for one hour. The color of the exposed badge is compared to a color
chart. Results are in parts per billion (ppb). All tests are done between
5:00 and 7:00 p.m.

0-60 Good

61-125 Moderate

126-204 Unhealthy

205-409 Very Unhealthy

410+ Hazardous
OZONE
date location ozone (ppb) temperature
04-May-02 Provincetown, MA 60 60
08-May-02 Barnstable Harbour, MA 120 60
09-May-02 Cape Cod Canad, MA 120 55
11-May-02 Manomet, MA 220 60
15-May-02 Scituate, MA 120 58
16-May-02 Peddocks Island, Boston Harbour 120 65
19-May-02 Nahant, MA 120 65
20-May-02 Cat's Island, MA 80 65
23-May-02 Salisbury Beach, MA 160 68
25-May-02 Rye Science Centre, NH 160 62
28-May-02 Cape Neddick, ME 80 65
30-May-02 Vaughn Island, Cape Porpoise, ME 20 65
01-Jun-02 Saco, ME 200 75
03-Jun-02 Jewel Island, Casco Bay, ME 40 67
04-Jun-02 Hermit Island Camp Ground, Bath, ME 40 61
13-Jun-02 George's Islands, ME 120 58
18-Jun-02 Owl's Head, ME 20 63
30-Jun-02 Swan's Island, ME 20 73
04-Jul-02 Bar Harbor, ME 120 82
10-Jul-02 Milbridge, ME 160 82
11-Jul-02 Jonesport, ME 80 75
13-Jul-02 Machias, ME 40 72
14-Jul-02 East Machias, ME 20 68
19-Jul-02 Quaddy Head, ME 40 70
20-Jul-02 East Port, ME 20 75
22-Jul-02 Deer Island 20 78
25-Jul-02 St. Andrews, NB 160 80
27-Jul-02 Orange Cove, NB 120 75
30-Jul-02 Irving Nature Park, NB 80 76
01-Aug-02 Saint John, NB 100 82
06-Aug-02 St. Martins, NB 100 72
10-Aug-02 Alma, NB 120 76
14-Aug-02 Huntington Beach, NS 20 82
21-Aug-02 Mordon, NS 40 70
27-Aug-02 Digby, NS 40 72
30-Aug-02 Annapolis Royal, NS 40 78