The city of Wichita’s ozone season began today.
Ground level ozone is a harmful air pollutant that can have negative health and economic consequences. The city encourages everyone to take voluntary actions to prevent poor air quality. This includes reducing driving and idling time, lowering home energy usage, fueling vehicles before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m., or utilizing public transit.
Ozone is formed in the presence of four main ingredients. They include oxygen, heat and volatile organic compounds, which occur naturally or can originate from chemical fumes from paints, thinners, fuel oil, and gasoline. The final ingredient is nitrogen oxides, typically formed by internal combustion from cars, trucks, buses and lawnmowers.
The community is encouraged to follow the city on social media for ozone forecasts, tips and other news. The ozone season will continue until Friday, October 31.