Northeast Ohio is in the middle of ozone season, the period between spring and fall when air pollution contributing to ground level ozone can reach its worst. Ozone, at elevated levels, can contribute to health issues. But another threat to air quality this year is the smoke from wildfires burning in Canada.
The worst of the smoke hasn’t quite hit Northeast Ohio yet, Chief of Air Pollution Outreach with Cleveland’s Division of Air Quality Christina Yoka said, but it poses a unique risk to the region’s air quality.
"We don't know what the [wind] patterns are going to do, but you can see higher concentration level," Yoka said. "It's the consideration of, like, there might be different types of pollutants in the air than what we typically have."
Ground level ozone typically consists of volatile organic compounds, gases emitted by vehicles, industrial facilities or chemical plants, that heat up in the sunlight, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ground level ozone tends to spike on hot, sunny days.
Wildfire smoke poses a separate risk in the form of microscopic particulate matter, PM 10 and PM 2.5, contributing to health issues like bronchitis and heart attacks, according to the EPA.
The smoke's effect on Northeast Ohio's air quality remains to be seen, Yoka said, but residents should stay on alert in case conditions change.
"So if they go outside and they're having a difficult [time] breathing, if their throat is irritated, if they start having like their nose or eyes are irritated," she said, "those could be, like, just initial signs to that ... maybe the the air quality or the smoke is impacting them in a bad way."
The city’s worst air quality conditions are expected in early summer, Yoka said, aligning with previous air quality trends.
"With us being located right next to the lake that actually creates a change in how the air is moving through the region and it forces those precursors to ozone to kind of fit like right along the lake," she said. "That is what allows the ozone to form."
Northeast Ohio's environmental justice communities, including Black and low-income residents, face a unique risk, Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition Yvonka Hall said.
"African-Americans are more like to have comorbidities, which is ... having heart disease, having hypertension, having all of these things at once compounded by the fact of where you live," Hall said. "We don't really do a good job of talking to communities of concern, and that would be poor Blacks and poor whites about environmental hazards."
Hall and the coalition is working to help at risk communities better understand and protect themselves from worsened air quality and other environmental risks. But when it comes to air quality, outdoor workers, like those who work in factories or on construction sites, may be at higher risk on poor air quality days, she said.
Solutions begin with checking the air quality index daily, Yoka said, to determine individual risk and what actions to take.
The Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition is also providing free air purifiers to filter out indoor air contaminants.
"They're made for rooms that are about 150 square feet to about 250 square feet," Hall said. "If the space that you're in the most, be it in your sleeping area or if it's in your living room, ... you want to make sure that you are having an area that has really good air quality."
Air quality index resources
The AirNow interactive air quality index is a national resource pulling from U.S. EPA data.
The index provides alerts about the current air quality and any at risk demographics. AirNow also includes a map allowing users to view locations of air quality monitors, current reported fires and smoke traveling across the country.
The Cleveland Department of Public Health Division of Air Quality hotline is updated daily on business days and can be accessed by calling (216) 664-7442.
The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency provides email alerts to those who sign up online, along with tips to avoid contributing to air pollution, like carpooling or biking to work.
