Incheon City Implements Summer Ozone Forecast System... Provides Ozone Concentration Twice Daily

Photo by Asahi Keizai DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The Incheon Health and Environment Research Institute announced on the 15th that it will implement the summer season "Ozone Forecast System" to prevent ozone damage that adversely affects citizens' health in advance.

Ozone is a gaseous secondary pollutant created by photochemical reactions under conditions of high temperature and strong sunlight during the summer season. When present in high concentrations in the atmosphere, it can negatively impact the health of patients with respiratory, heart, and lung diseases, as well as the elderly and vulnerable groups.

Accordingly, the institute operates the Ozone Forecast System during the summer season (from April 15 to October 15) to continuously monitor the conditions for high ozone concentration and provide advance warnings for preparedness.

The Ozone Forecast System calculates the predicted ozone concentration based on conditions for high ozone occurrence and meteorological data, categorizing the forecast into four grades (Good, Moderate, Bad, Very Bad). The results are provided twice daily by region at 9 a.m. (same-day forecast) and 6 p.m. (next-day forecast) to citizens.

The air pollution regions are divided into four areas: ▲Southeast (Michuhol, Yeonsu, Namdong, Bupyeong, Gyeyang Districts) ▲West (Dong and Seo Districts and Jung District excluding Yeongjong) ▲Yeongjong ▲Ganghwa.

The ozone forecast results by region can be checked anytime on the Health and Environment Research Institute's Environmental Information Disclosure System website. By subscribing to the text message service, citizens can receive daily morning forecasts for up to two regions (counties/districts).

Won Munju, Director of the Health and Environment Research Institute, said, "Although fine dust concentrations decrease during the summer when outdoor activities are frequent, the concentration of secondary air pollutants such as ozone increases, which can harm health." He urged, "Please frequently check the air pollution information provided by the institute to minimize damage in daily life."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.