ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, June 21, 1996 TAG: 9606210046
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: The Washington Post
Ozone pollution has caused hundreds of hospital admissions in urban areas with severe smog, according to an analysis released Thursday by the Harvard School of Public Health and the American Lung Association.
The study of 13 major U.S. cities showed that ozone, a toxic gas that contributes heavily to urban smog, may be responsible for as many as 50,000 hospital emergency-room visits nationwide every year.
The study concluded that the city with the highest percentage of respiratory-related hospital admissions linked to smog was Los Angeles, with 8.5 percent, followed by Baltimore, with 7.9 percent.
Of the 44,005 people admitted to Los Angeles hospitals for respiratory treatment during the severe smog season, an estimated 3,615 were for ailments caused by ozone, the study said. In cities such as Milwaukee and Detroit, the percentage of severe respiratory illnesses linked to ozone was only about 5 percent.
The study was designed to show the effects on public health of ozone - a gas produced when heat and sunlight trigger chemical reactions between oxygen and volatile organic compounds or other pollutants. Ozone has a variety of respiratory effects, including lung inflammation, increased susceptibility to infections, and worsening of asthma and allergies.
According to standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Air Act, ozone levels exceeding 0.12 parts per million can be detrimental to public health.
During the severe smog season extending from June to early September, those levels are regularly exceeded in each of the cities in the study. The EPA plans to propose new ambient air quality standards for ozone and fine particulates by the end of this year. The Lung Association and a coalition of environmental groups are lobbying agency officials to adopt stricter standards.
``For society, exposure to ozone means greater health care costs, medications, and absences from school and work,'' Dr. John McBride said at a news conference called by the Lung Association. ``For many asthmatic children
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