Wednesday, May 12, 1999
New ozone notch added for the 'sensitive'
BY BEN L. KAUFMAN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Tuesday's heat suggests serious smog might not wait for the formal Memorial Day rollout.
When it hits, there will be a changed warning system.
Smog-fighters at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) modified their familiar Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) to accommodate the most susceptible victims of breath-taking ozone.
EPA added “unhealthy for sensitive groups” between “moderate” and “unhealthy” scores.
At 5 p.m. Tuesday, ozone monitored at Batavia was moving into the moderate range, and Harry St. Clair, head of air monitoring for Hamilton County environmental services, predic ted “we are going to see it go into unhealthy for sensitive groups” by 8 p.m.
After that, however, it could drop off quickly as the sun sets, he added, and there might be some air-cleaning rain today.
Previously, PSI measured air quality as good, moderate, unhealthy, or very unhealthy.
The break between moderate and unhealthy was a PSI of 100. That's now the alert level for sensitive groups — the elderly, active young children and anyone with breathing problems.
EPA's revised PSI also suggests that otherwise healthy people can accommodate more ozone than before.
Ozone is the product of sunlight on emissions from power stations, automobiles, trees, lawnmowers, drying oil paint and other sources.
EPA's change still leaves two numbers to measure smog — the PSI and parts per billion (ppb) of ozone used to determine compliance with or violation of the federal Clean Air Act.
The new PSI — with ozone equivalents in parentheses — is:
• 0-50: Good (zero to 69 ppb).
• 51-100: Moderate (70 to 84 ppb).
• 101-150: Unhealthy for sensitive groups (85 to 104 ppb).
• 151-200: Unhealthy (105 to 124 ppb).
• 201-300: Very unhealthy (125 ppb and up).
The new smog limit for Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clermont, Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties is 84 ppb. The old limit was 124 ppb.
Failure to meet the new, lower limit could result in sanctions, but EPA is still drafting rules.
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