SC residents cautioned about ozone conditions

Today weather conditions are likely for increased ground-level ozone concentrations in numerous South Carolina counties. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is forecasting an Orange Ozone Action Day for the following counties:

• Upstate: Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg and Union

• Midlands: Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry, Richland and Sumter

• Trident: Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester

• Pee Dee: Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Lee and Marlboro

Myra Reece, chief of DHEC’s Bureau of Air Quality says, “When ozone levels are elevated, active children and adults as well as people with respiratory diseases, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.”

Ground-level ozone is formed when hot, dry, stagnant weather conditions exist. When that happens, emissions from vehicles contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone.