A record-breaking heat wave with temperatures 15 to 20 degrees above normal is steaming across much of the northeastern U.S. right now.
Extreme heat is dangerous enough on its own, but it also makes health-harming ground-level ozone pollution, commonly called smog, worse.
Ozone pollution is dangerous. And EPA regulates this pollution through the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, which are supposed to be updated every 5 years. In fact, they have not been updated since 2015. Progress on updating federal ozone protections can’t come fast enough for those of us living with the impacts of this pollution every day.
Tell EPA: Do Not Delay on Ozone Pollution
Ozone forms when certain chemicals in the air react with heat and sunlight, so on hot, sunny days, ozone levels are even worse. Power plants, vehicle exhaust, and chemical solvents can all be sources of smog-forming chemicals, including nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Ozone pollution harms airways. It is highly irritating to the lungs, and can trigger asthma attacks, increase risk of lung infections, and interfere with normal lung development in children. It’s even linked with premature death. And it disproportionately harms Black, Latino, Indigenous, and other families of color.
Ample research—and the lived experience of millions—tells us that our current ozone standards aren’t strong enough to protect children and families.
Join Moms in telling EPA that ozone matters to you and your family—and that parents won’t stop fighting for our children’s right to breathe clean air, not even during heat waves.