Nowhere in America do ambient ozone levels exacerbate respiratory problems.
The Durango Herald reports,
Colorado’s gas and oil boom combined with a cash-strapped state government has caused a backlog of 1,800 pending air-pollution control permits for gas and oil equipment…
All this new activity leads to concern that the state’s air pollution will worsen, especially ground-level ozone, which exacerbates asthma and bronchitis and can damage plant life.
Natural gas and oil operations are only one of many sources of ozone. They emit nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which combine in sunlight to create ozone.
Allison said Colorado has made great progress on reducing most types of air pollution, and the state is compliant on federal limits – except for ozone in Denver and Fort Collins. He said the rules will keep pollution in check despite the boom in natural gas and oil…