Employed

Per Capita Income

Above Poverty

Economic

Preschool Enrollment

Bachelor's Education

High School Enrollment

Education

Voting

Census Response

Social

Automobile Access

Active Commuting

Transportation

Insured Adults

Healthcare Access

Retail Density

Park Access

Tree Canopy

Neighborhood

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Renters

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Homeowners

Housing Habitability

Uncrowded Housing

Homeownership

Housing

Ozone

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5)

Diesel Particulate Matter

Safe Drinking Water

Clean Environment

Extreme Heat

Impervious Surfaces

Outdoor Workers

Public Transit Access

Sea Level Rise

Two Parent Households

Alcohol Availability

Supermarket Access

Decision Support

Everyone should be able to live in neighborhoods where it is safe to breathe. When ozone levels in the air are high, it can cause lung inflammation and more serious respiratory issues. Prolonged exposure to high ozone levels can increase the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, poor birth outcomes, and premature death. People who spend a lot of time outdoors are especially at risk of high ozone exposure, including outdoor workers and adults and children participating in sports and exercise.

 For more information on research on Ozone and Health, see the 

This indicator measures the average amount of ozone (often called smog) in the air during the most polluted 8 hours of summer days. Ground level ozone is formed when pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NO

) and reactive organic gases react with sunlight.

Boweler, D. et al., “How Effective Is ‘Greening’ Of Urban Areas In Reducing Human Exposure To Ground Level Ozone Concentrations, Uv Exposure And The ‘Urban Heat Island Effect’?,” Collaboration for Environmental Evidence Review 08, no. 004 (2010), www.environmentalevidence.org/SR41.html.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Reducing Heat Islands: Compendium of Strategies- Cool Roofs,” 2008.

Build Community Power and Connection – Partner with communities to address air quality issues. : Use natural systems and heat-reflective materials to keep cities cooler and reduce ozone production. – Where pollution and people must co-exist, encourage healthy design standards and accurate information collection and California Air Resources Board, “Ozone and Health,” 2017, https://www.arb.ca.gov/research/aaqs/caaqs/ozone/ozone-fs.pdf

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Health Effects of Ozone in the General Population,” 2017. https://www.epa.gov/ozone-pollution-and-your-patients-health/health-effects-ozone-general-population#recurrent

David Gorn, “More Pollution Than Cars? Gas-Powered Gardening Equipment Poses the Next Air Quality Threat,” KQED, February 13, 2017, https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/02/13/more-pollution-than-cars-gas-powered-gardening-equipment-poses-the-next-air-quality-threat/.

Younger M, Morrow-Almeida H, Vindigni S, and Dannenberg A. 2008. The built environment, climate change, and health: Opportunities for co-benefits. American Journal of Preventive Medicine: 35:5, 517-526.

Wolf K. 2014. Water and wellness: Green infrastructure for health co-benefits. Storm water Report: Water Environment Federation (WEF). stormwater.wef.org/2014/04/water-wellness/. Accessed 13 April 2016.

K Ebi and J Semenza, “Community-Based Adaptation to the Health Impacts of Climate Change,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 35, no. 5 (2008): 501–7.

To address high levels of ozone, jurisdictions should adopt a range of strategies to reduce emissions of the chemicals that react with sunlight to become ozone (ozone precursors), reduce urban heat islands that speed ozone formation, and protect residents from pollution.

While local jurisdictions do not have regulatory authority over most smokestack (stationary source) and tail pipe (mobile source) emissions, there are many actions local jurisdictions can take to reduce pollution. They can incentivize or require 

Low-Emission Vehicles and Freight Facilities

 in many situations. They can also limit ozone production by helping 

—decreasing tail pipe emissions and other particles released from wear and tear on breaks and tires, and also investing in sidewalks, biking, public transportation, ridesharing and other mobility options. 

 strategies, in particular, can help reduce driving by allowing people to live close to jobs, services and other destinations. They can also work with their local Air Quality Management District to 

, like generators, lawncare equipment, and other stationary sources.

In addition to reducing pollution, it is essential to find ways to protect residents from ozone and other pollutants. Where pollution and people must co-exist, jurisdictions can 

 by encouraging accurate information collection and developing appropriate responses to air risks. Jurisdictions can promote 

 where buildings, pavement, and other dark surfaces capture heat. Increased temperatures in urban areas speed the process that generates ozone from precursor pollutants. They can use natural systems and heat-reflective materials to keep buildings, pavements, and the urban environment cooler. Finally, jurisdictions should 

 and partner with communities to address air quality and health issues.

For all strategies, jurisdictions should direct and prioritize efforts for places already overburdened by air pollution, and work to address existing inequities in health. In addition to relieving existing burdens, jurisdictions should identify opportunities to maximize additional health or quality of life benefits that can be achieved in addition to decreased pollution. For instance, 

 can improve indoor air quality, reduce asthma triggers, provide job training opportunities, and save residents money. Local governments should prioritize interventions that minimize risk in vulnerable communities, while maximizing co-benefits that meet community needs.

Reduce the tailpipe emissions that help form ozone by reducing car travel.

Pollution

Climate

Equity

Sufficient Evidence

Transit Service Expansion

Promising

Shared Transportation Systems

Transit Fix-It-First

Transportation Demand Management (TDM)

Discount Transit Pass Programs

Physical Activity

Active Transportation Infrastructure

Use natural systems to protect workers by reducing heat-island effects and providing shade.

Green Roofs

Urban Greening

Strong Evidence

Cool Pavements

Healthy Neighborhoods

Green Storm Water Infrastructure

Cool Roofs

Where pollution and people must co-exist, encourage healthy design standards and accurate information collection and response to existing risks.

Health

Weatherization Programs

Community Power and Connection

Monitoring and Warning Systems

Site Planning

Partner with communities to address air quality issues. Use natural systems and heat-reflective materials to keep cities cooler and reduce ozone production. Where pollution and people must co-exist, encourage healthy design standards and accurate information collection and response to existing risks.

Community Organizing

Reduce ozone precursors at their source by using cleaner freight technology and practices.

Truck Routes and Idling Restrictions

Zero or Near-Zero-Emission Vehicles

Cleaner Freight Systems

Reduce car travel and emissions by enabling people to live close to jobs, services and other destinations.

Policy Guide

Ozone

References