Ozone Level Readings in Central Arkansas Critical

People are finding lots of ways to get around town.

"We were on the trolley and it was air conditioned"

That's a great way to stay cool and help the environment.

Especially since Central Arkansas has reached critical ozone levels, that means the concentration of bad air may be high enough to cause breathing problems.

Why is this happening?

The hot stagnate weather conditions that create high ozone levels making it harder for pollutants to be blown away because there is no rain.

Jim Mckenzie, Metroplan Executive Director, says that's causing all the bad chemicals from cars, buses, trucks, diesel fuel and coal plants to fill the air and just stay there.

"The bottom line is with this spade of hot weather it looks like we are going to be in exceedence for the first time of the ozone standard ."

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality has reported readings higher than the national standard in three different locations around the state, but Mckenzie says at least our ozone levels are not Los Angeles or Houston where the air is so bad you could cut with a knife.

"We are not there yet. And we don't want to be there. We want to be in attainment for a number of reasons, health being one of them, industrial recruitment being another, availability of transportation funds."

And the air quality standards are pretty complex.

"It's a three year moving average. The fourth lowest 8 hour averaged over three years, so it gets pretty bazaar."

Strange, but how do officials say we can help meet standards?

Ride the bus, bike instead of driving, don't get gas until the late evening, and drive slower.

"We want to protect the health of the general public in Arkansas by keeping air pollutants down below federal standards."