What are the health effects of ground-level ozone?
[Back to Top] Ozone is a strong respiratory irritant. Short-term, infrequent exposure to ozone can result in throat and eye irritation, difficulty drawing a deep breath, and coughing. Long-term and repeated exposure to ozone concentrations above the Federal standard can result in reduction of lung function as the cells lining the lungs are damaged. Repeated cycles of damage and healing may result in scarring of lung tissue and permanently reduced lung function. Health studies have indicated that high ambient ozone concentrations may impair lung function growth in children, resulting in reduced lung function in adulthood. As lung function declines in older adults, individuals whose lung function is already below normal may be especially vulnerable to respiratory problems.
