Loveland, Ohio – The Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency (a division of Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services) has issued an Air Quality Alert for Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties in Ohio and Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties in Kentucky.
Do Your Share! Take these precautions:
• Take the bus, carpool, bike or walk instead of driving
• Refuel your vehicle after 8 p.m.Do not top off when refueling and tighten the gas cap
• Avoid idling your vehicle
• Combine trips or eliminate unnecessary vehicle trips
• Keep your vehicle maintained with properly inflated tires and timely oil changes
• Avoid use of gasoline-powered lawn equipment on Air Quality Alert days
• Avoid use of oil-based paints and stains on Air Quality Alert days
• Never burn leaves or other yard trimmings
• Always burn clean, seasoned wood in outdoor fire pits, fireplaces and wood stoves
• Do not use fire pits or fireplaces for non-essential home heating on Air Quality Alert days
• Conserve electricity
An Air Quality Alert has been declared for Cincinnati, OH, on Tuesday, Aug 27
Loveland, Ohio – The Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency is extending the Air Quality Alert for FRIDAY, JULY 28 through 11:59 PM for Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties in Kentucky; and Dearborn County in Indiana.
The Agency expects to see levels of ozone in the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” range on the Air Quality Index (AQI).
Because there are two air pollutants with high concentrations, the general public is encouraged to limit their outdoor exertion, especially children, those with respiratory illnesses, and older adults. Refer to U.S. EPA’s health guide here.
Code Orange days mean that pollution levels will be hazardous for children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions.
Everyone can help reduce ozone formation by taking the following actions:
Telecommute if your employer permits.
Do not idle your vehicle; exhaust contributes considerably to ozone formation.
Combine trips or eliminating unnecessary vehicle trips.
For more details on the Air Quality Index and its corresponding health messages, refer to AirNow. You may also choose to sign up for EnviroFlash, a free service and app that notifies you of daily air quality conditions based upon your personal settings that you control.
Loveland, Ohio – Children face special risks from air pollution because their lungs are growing and because they are so active and breathe in a great deal of air according to the American Lung Association.
“Just like the arms and legs, the largest portion of a child’s lungs will grow long after he or she is born. Eighty percent of their tiny air sacs develop after birth. Those sacs, called the alveoli, are where the life-sustaining transfer of oxygen to the blood takes place. The lungs and their alveoli aren’t fully grown until children become adults. In addition, the body’s defenses that help adults fight off infections are still developing in young bodies. Children have more respiratory infections than adults, which also seems to increase their susceptibility to air pollution. Furthermore, children don’t behave like adults, and their behavior also affects their vulnerability. They are outside for longer periods and are usually more active when outdoors. Consequently, they inhale more polluted outdoor air than adults typically do.”
Air Pollution Affects Children Before They Are Born
Several studies have found air pollution linked to harm to children while they are still in the womb. A large study in California found that higher particle pollution levels increased the risk of preterm birth. Pregnant women exposed to even low levels of particle pollution had higher risk for preterm birth in a Boston study. Preterm births occurred more frequently when particle pollution spiked, as an Australian study found, even when they controlled for other risk factors.
Air Pollution Limits Lung Growth in Children
The Southern California Children’s Health study looked at the long-term effects of air pollution on children and teenagers. Tracking 1,759 children who were between ages 10 and 18 from 1993 to 2001, researchers found that those who grew up in more polluted areas face the increased risk of having reduced lung growth, which may never recover to their full capacity. The average drop in lung function was similar to the impact of growing up in a home with parents who smoked.
Community health studies are pointing to less obvious, but serious effects from year-round exposure to ozone, especially for children. Scientists followed 500 Yale University students and determined that living just four years in a region with high levels of ozone and related co-pollutants was associated with diminished lung function and frequent reports of respiratory symptoms. Another earlier report from the Children’s Health study of 3,300 schoolchildren in Southern California found reduced lung function in girls with asthma and boys who spent more time outdoors in areas with high levels of ozone.
Traffic on a highway. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
Improving air quality in the state would lead to better health for Ohioans, and could be done through policy changes, according to a policy think tank.
In a recent examination of the connections between air pollution and health, the Health Policy Institute focused on maternal and infant health, lung and heart conditions and cognitive conditions, all of which could see better outcomes with increased monitoring and control of air pollutants.
“Exposure to air pollution can also increase the severity, lethality and prevalence of COVID-19 due to its negative impact on cardiopulmonary diseases and immune responses,” the HPIO said in a policy brief on the issue.
Sources of air pollution range from power plants to vehicle exhaust, and even natural sources like dust.
Improvements have been made through the federal Clean Air Act in 1970, which sought to regulate emissions through EPA oversight, and through implementation of plans in each individual state.
“The EPA can also take civil or criminal action against an entity that has violated environmental law, such as not installing a required air pollution control device,” the HPIO stated.
But Ohio “ranks poorly on outdoor air quality” according to the institute’s research, and performs worse than most other states.
Graph provided by the Health Policy Institute.
More than 32% of Ohioans commute more than 30 minutes to work alone, verses 4.1% who walk, cycle or use public transportation, according to a 2021 Health Value Dashboard cited in the policy brief.
But more than the choice of commute, some Ohioans are unwittingly in danger of air pollution effects based solely on where they live and the zoning policies in those communities. Even “redlining,” the use of discriminatory practice of denying mortgages and other financial services based on race or ethnicity, can cause minorities to end up in more polluted areas.
“Historically, zoning policies and redlining placed industrial plants and highways closer to predominantly Black neighborhoods and prohibited Black people from living in areas that did not have these sources of pollution near them,” the HPIO stated.
According to research from the National Equity Atlas, Black Ohioans face a risk of air pollution 1.5 times higher than white residents of the state.
Part of the problem in Ohio was the passage of the scandal-ridden House Bill 6, a bailout of energy companies that led to, among other things, a bribery investigation and, beginning this month, the criminal trial of former House Speaker Larry Householder.
Parts of the legislation were repealed in March 2021 related to the bailout, but measures that severely cut energy-efficiency programs and standards for renewable energy stayed in place.
“By reducing the renewable energy benchmark, Ohioans are more likely to continue to use fossil fuel-based energy and be more at risk of air pollution exposure,” the HPIO policy brief stated.
Ohio’s legislature also passed Senate Bill 52 in 2021, which hampers the development of energy sources such as wind farms and solar facilities and allows local governments to turn down wind and solar proposals.
Local governments have done their part to reduce air pollution, however, with the Central Ohio Transportation Authority planning a fleet transition to non-diesel by 2025 after receiving federal funding for the effort.
After a settlement between Volkswagen and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over an emissions scandal, Ohio is set to receive $75 million over 10 years to be used to fund emission-reduction projects.
“The latest round of grants, awarded in November 2021, were estimated to remove 33 tons of nitrogen oxides and 16 tons of other air pollutants annually,” the HPIO stated.
Moving forward, the policy institute said more legislation could set targets for “renewable energy procurement” and use air quality monitors to capture data on exposure. Increased funding for public transportation and an “environmental legislature review process” were also recommended by the HPIO.
• Take the bus, carpool, bike or walk instead of driving • Refuel your vehicle after 8 p.m.; do not top off when refueling and tighten the gas cap • Avoid idling your vehicle • Combine trips or eliminate unnecessary vehicle trips • Keep your vehicle maintained with properly inflated tires and timely oil changes • Avoid use of gasoline-powered lawn equipment on Air Quality Alert days • Avoid use of oil-based paints and stains on Air Quality Alert days • Never burn leaves or other yard trimmings • Always burn clean, seasoned wood in outdoor fire pits, fireplaces and wood stoves • Do not use fire pits or fireplaces for non-essential home heating on Air Quality Alert days • Conserve electricity
Loveland, Ohio – The Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency has issued an Air Quality Alert for Tuesday, July 26 for the Loveland, Ohio Area.
The Agency expects to see levels of ozone in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range on the Air Quality Index.
Active children and adults, and people with respiratory diseases, such as asthma, should be avoiding all outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit outdoor exertion.
Activities for children, who can be especially harmed by high levels of ozone because of their developing lungs and that some activities such as sports result in them breathing in quite a large amount of the chemical irritants should be suspended.
To keep informed about Loveland’s hour-by-hour air quality you can always look for this image on our Home Page or use this LINK.
On Air Quality Alert days, everyone can help reduce ozone formation by taking the following actions:
• Take the bus, carpool, bike, or walk instead of drive.
• Refuel your vehicle after 8 p.m.; do not top off when refueling and tighten the gas cap.
• Do not idle your vehicle; exhaust contributes considerably to ozone formation.
• Combine trips or eliminating unnecessary vehicle trips.
• Keep your vehicle maintained with properly inflated tires and timely oil changes.
• Avoid use of gasoline-powered lawn equipment on Air Quality Alert days.
• Avoid use of oil-based paints and stains on Air Quality Alert days.
• Never burn leaves or other yard trimmings.
• Suspend use of fire pits, campfires and charcoal grills on Air Quality Alert days.
• Conserve electricity by turning out lights and unplugging unused appliances and electronics.
Loveland, Ohio – The Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency has issued an Air Quality Alert for Saturday, July 24 for the Loveland, Ohio Area.
The Agency expects to see levels of ozone in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range on the Air Quality Index.
Active children and adults, and people with respiratory diseases, such as asthma, should be avoiding all outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit outdoor exertion.
To keep informed about Loveland’s hour-by-hour air quality you can always look for this image on our Home Page or use this LINK.
Loveland, Ohio – Yesterday the air quality in the Loveland Area had already reached the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” level before the Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency gave notice of an Air Quality Advisory.
So residents can always find out what the air quality is in real-time, Loveland Magazine today added this link and graphic to our Home Page so you always know where to find the Current Air Quality Data for Loveland, Ohio.
Health Message:Active children and adults, and people with lung disease, such as asthma, should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
ACTION DAY
Loveland, Ohio – The Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency (Agency) has issued an Air Quality Advisory for Monday August 4th, for Loveland, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties in Kentucky; and Dearborn County in Indiana. The Agency expects to see levels of ozone in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range on the Air Quality Index (AQI).
The Ohio EPA is predicting that the ozone level will be 120 on Friday.
Predicted Air Quality Index (AQI) for the Loveland Area
120
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups on Saturday
Health Message:Active children and adults, and people with lung disease, such as asthma, should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
Steps you should take to protect you or your children’s health
Reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion. Take more breaks, do less intense activities. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath. Schedule outdoor activities in the morning when ozone is lower.
People with asthma should follow their asthma action plans and keep quick relief medicine handy.
Do Your Share!
Carpool, bike or walk instead of driving.
Use your most fuel efficient vehicle and drive gently.
Keep your motorcycle in the garage. They don’t have the pollution controls modern passenger vehicles do.
Refuel your vehicle after 8 PM; do not top off when refueling and tighten the gas cap.
Avoid idling your vehicle. (Avoid drive-thru windows.)
Combine trips and eliminate unnecessary vehicle trips
Do not use of gasoline-powered lawn equipment
Do not use of oil-based paints and stains
Never burn leaves or other yard trimmings.
Do not use fire pits.
Conserve electricity by turning off unnecessary lights.
Turn your air conditioner thermostat up and use room fans for cooling.
Save the power boating for another day.
Initiate an Air Pollution Alert Day policy where you work; whether that be a company you own, an employee, a local government agency you work for, or a school district.
Sign up for Enviroflash and Start Receiving Your Air Quality Forecast
Children and Air Pollution
Children face special risks from air pollution because their lungs are growing and because they are so active and breathe in a great deal of air.
Just like the arms and legs, the largest portion of a child’s lungs will grow long after he or she is born. Eighty percent of their tiny air sacs develop after birth. Those sacs, called the alveoli, are where the life-sustaining transfer of oxygen to the blood takes place. The lungs and their alveoli aren’t fully grown until children become adults. In addition, the body’s defenses that help adults fight off infections are still developing in young bodies. Children have more respiratory infections than adults, which also seems to increase their susceptibility to air pollution.
Furthermore, children don’t behave like adults, and their behavior also affects their vulnerability. They are outside for longer periods and are usually more active when outdoors. Consequently, they inhale more polluted outdoor air than adults typically do.
The Air Quality Index for Loveland, Ohio was in the “Unhealthy” range at 8 AM this morning and approaching the “Very Unhealthy category.
