What are some of the health effects from exposure to ozone?
Adults and children who breathe high levels of ozone for a short period of time (minutes or hours) can experience eye, nose and throat irritation, shortness of breath, chest pain and coughing. Breathing high levels of ozone can worsen asthma symptoms. Breathing ozone for a short period of time may worsen symptoms in people with heart disease. Ozone can react with other chemicals in the air to produce additional chemicals and fine particles that can also be irritating to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Children who breathe ozone for long periods of time (years) may suffer permanent lung damage, but this health effect is less certain. Some information suggests that children who participate in outdoor sports in areas of high ozone levels have an increased chance of developing asthma.
