File photo News by Kasey Brammell/Cronkite: Maricopa County does not meet the latest Environmental Protection Agency ozone standards. The EPA has reclassified the county from marginal to moderate because it has not achieved the ozone limit.
PHOENIX – Ozone levels in Maricopa County are deteriorating, threatening the health of 4.5 million residents and costing billions of dollars over the next few years.
On Sept. 16, the Environmental Protection Agency reclassified the county from marginal to moderate because ozone limits were not met. This means that not only do we not meet the EPA’s latest ozone standards, but our air is heavily loaded with one of the most dangerous air pollutants.
Ozone concentration is measured as the amount of light energy per volume of air, from which the parts per billion concentration is subtracted. The county did not meet the 70 ppb EPA standard set in 2015.
A rising severity rating indicated poor ozone quality in the county. It also imposed more restrictions on businesses in order for the county to meet EPA standards.
Our ozone levels also rose in 2020 – 79 ppb to 87 ppbAnd if Maricopa County doesn’t meet the 70 ppb or less achievement level by August 2024, it could get even worse.
What is ozone?
ozone Requires 3 ingredients to form: Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Sunlight. VOCs It is found in building materials, aerosol sprays, paints, cleaning agents, etc. Organic chemicals are chemicals that contain carbon-hydrogen bonds or carbon-carbon bonds.
Matt Pace, Air Quality Meteorologist for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, said: “That new car smell, that new carpet smell, those are VOCs.”
NOx, A nitrogen molecule and one or two oxygen atoms, mainly created by vehicles and power plants.in the presence of sunlight, NOx loses one of its oxygen molecules to produce nitrogen oxides NO. Free oxygen molecules combine with naturally occurring O2 to form ozone O3. VOCs continue the cycle by stripping O2 from one of its oxygen molecules and converting it to nitrogen oxides to regenerate NOx.
Since ozone is a highly reactive molecule, it poses a problem for human health. breathing ozonemolecular oxygen break chemical bonds of proteins and waxy molecules of fat called lipids in our lungsThis causes inflammation, making it more susceptible to microbes, toxic chemicals, and allergens. This inflammation causes the lungs to fill with fluid to protect the injured area, making breathing more difficult.
However, not all ozone is harmful. good ozoneProtecting us from the sun’s UV rays resides in the stratosphere, 6 to 30 miles above the surface. Bad ozone is in the troposphere where we live on the surface of the earth.
“Ozone irritates the lungs,” says Molly Rauch, public health policy director for the Moms Clean Air Force. “It’s very nice in high air, but it’s really annoying for people who have to breathe it in the air.”
What Causes High Ozone Concentrations in Silicon Valley?
Maricopa County’s ozone concentration is trending upward, but the main reason for the lack of achievement is the government’s 2015 guidelinesThis lowered the permissible level of ozone from 75 ppb to 70 ppb. This change is based on scientific evidence showing that a 70 ppb level better protects vulnerable communities (such as young children, people working outside, the elderly, and those with asthma).
Another cause of unhealthy ozone levels is the rapid growth of Phoenix’s population. Doubled since 1990More companies, factories and people are producing hydrocarbons. Climate change is also indirectly exacerbating the ozone problem.
EPA environmental scientist Anita Lee said: “So it’s definitely a known effect of ozone chemistry and ozone formation.”
Lee said climate change will affect ozone production in a more complex way. For example, rising temperatures are causing wildfires, which are releasing more VOCs. Tim Franquist, environmental director for the Maricopa Association of Governments, said the increase from 79 ppb to 87 ppb was due to wildfires. More sunny days means more opportunities for VOCs and NOx to react and form ozone.
Pace said Phoenix’s physical location also contributes to the ozone problem.
“We sit in a bowl surrounded by mountains, and a lot of the time the air just stays in the valleys,” Pace said. This air stagnation causes VOCs and NOx to accumulate with nowhere to go.
How does ozone affect humans?
Ozone has a real world health effects for many people. It triggers asthma and in some cases causes the development of asthma.
“It’s been linked to heart attacks and strokes, and there’s some evidence that it actually harms babies.” doing.”
Sandy Barr, director of the Grand Canyon chapter of the Sierra Club, says even healthy people are affected by ozone. She said high ozone levels caused coughing attacks and sinus problems, requiring changes to her daily routine.
“You can’t ride a bike when the ozone level is high,” Barr said. “It kind of impacts what I can do as far as overall exercise is concerned.”
But Bahr considers herself lucky. Because she’s seen first-hand how devastating ozone pollution can be.
“I’ve seen asthma attacks from high pollution levels, and it really worries people who are having trouble breathing,” she said. “For me it’s a cough. For them it’s an asthma attack, difficulty breathing. I can’t even imagine how bad it is.”
Ozone also exacerbates other diseases. It increases the risk of respiratory infections such as bronchitis When COVID-19 (new coronavirus infectious disease)For people with long-term COVID, breathing ozone can make their condition worse.
flat low levels of ozone may harm public health.
“Our current standard of 70 ppb is actually not enough to protect your health,” said Rauch. “In other words, there is evidence of health effects from ozone below 70 ppb.”
she said the EPA Review of 2015 standards We plan to update by the end of 2023. She believes ozone is “a systemic issue, not a matter of individual choice.”
“This should not be an individual responsibility to deal with ozone,” said Rauch. “We need to demand cleaner air from decision makers.”
What does EPA’s ozone non-attainment classification mean?
The EPA has set six levels: non-delivery: Extreme, Severe-17, Severe-15, Severe, Moderate, Marginal. If a region is not achieved, EPA assigns a rating based on the region’s high ozone levels. At 79 ppb, Maricopa County was originally classified as not meeting limits in 2015. This year, it has been reclassified as moderate.
The region must then achieve achievement by a set date based on EPA settings. Design value – or the ozone level assigned by the EPA for the region based on that criteria.
If the area is not completed by the set date, as Maricopa County did, the severity increases. Each new level brings new restrictions and regulations that the county must meet. For example, a new operation in Maricopa County that produces 100 tons of VOCs and NOx would have to offset 115 tons of emissions before it could operate, at moderate underperformance.
If Maricopa County moves to a critical underachievement in 2024, Frankist said it would be very difficult for Arizona’s economy.
“If we get into serious trouble, it will change dramatically at that level,” he said. The biggest issue is acceptable air quality.”
He said serious shortfalls would require the new business offset threshold to be lowered to 50 tonnes per year, offsetting 60 tonnes of emissions for every 50 tonnes a company produces. Requires “run-of-the-mill” business to offset emissions.
Frankist said this is a problem because these companies may not be able to produce the offsets they need to operate.
“We just don’t have offsets in the Valley,” he said. “We are not a highly industrialized area, so we don’t have offsets like California or Texas. there is potential.”
That would hurt Arizona’s economy.One study estimates that Maricopa County will lose $100 million a year because it has not been achieved. This jumps to $250 million annually in the event of serious shortfalls.
“Now, with moderate underachievement, things are tough, but with major underachievement it becomes very difficult because it affects the local economy,” Frankist said.
What are some solutions?
It will be difficult to achieve by 2024. Maricopa County already has about 90 measures in place to combat ozone, so it needs to come up with a solution.
“We definitely have to do something new here to meet the August 2024 deadline,” Frankist said. “There will undoubtedly be new means of control.”
Some measures could include lowering VOCs in products such as deodorants and hairsprays. This is a policy introduced by the State of California. Frank Quist says electric cars also help him cut NOx, but he doesn’t think Arizona will phase out gasoline cars. mandated by California.
He is confident that the Maricopa Government Association will develop a plan to demonstrate achievement, but he is unsure if Arizona will meet the 2024 deadline.
“We are really struggling to get this done in time,” says Frank Quist. “Between now and 2024, we don’t have a lot of time to put these controls in place and make them work.”
He said these solutions should be implemented next summer to give Arizona a chance to achieve. We warned that it could fail due to variables beyond our control, such as pollution blowing in from California.
“Yes, we believe we can do this, but it will take businesses, local governments and residents to truly come together to reduce emissions of ozone precursors,” Frankquist said. says. “It will certainly be a community effort. In my heart, I believe people understand the importance of it.”
visit EPA website To learn more about what you can do to reduce your precursor emissions.
This article was updated at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, January 11, with information from the Maricopa Government Association.
