Ozone season kicks off with pollution alert

Thursday, May 29, 2003 | 9:52 a.m.

For more information about ozone, call the Department of Air Quality Management at 455-3878. You also can visit the department's website (www.accessclarkcounty.com/air(underscore)quality) to find out more about local air quality issues.

The hot, hazy days of summer bring more than time by the pool and barbecue. They also bring sometimes dangerous amounts of air pollution.

"The ozone season is here," Susan Selby, assistant director of Clark County Air Quality Management, proclaimed Wednesday.

The department issued its first formal Air Quality Advisory for this year's ozone season, which extends throughout the summer. The warning will continue through today.

The department warned that warm, sunny weather and stagnant air conditions have triggered high ozone levels.

On bad days -- and Las Vegas has had several of them so far this week -- that can mean unhealthy levels of the gas. Air Quality Management officials urged children and people with respiratory problems to stay indoors Wednesday afternoon.

Monday and Tuesday, the gas, a byproduct of heat, humidity, engine exhaust, and volatile chemicals such as hair spray or paint, reached levels that were "unhealthy for sensitive people" in some neighborhoods, particularly in the northwest part of Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Valley is at risk of falling into non-compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency health standards for ozone. Local officials are conducting studies to determine the makeup of ozone pollution in the area and its primary sources.

Beyond warning people to avoid physical exertion outside during the afternoon hours, the county department offered the following recommendations: