Gyeongbuk Province Implements 'Ozone Alert System'... Text Message Service Provided Until October

Appearance of the Air Monitoring Station at Gyeongbuk Provincial Institute of Health and Environment.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Jae-ho] Gyeongbuk Province announced on the 23rd that the Health and Environment Research Institute will operate an 'Ozone Warning System' across the entire province for six months until October 15, due to increased concerns about high concentrations of ozone during the summer season.

The Health and Environment Research Institute measures ozone concentrations hourly through 41 urban air monitoring stations in 23 cities and counties within Gyeongbuk Province. If the maximum ozone concentration in the air reaches 0.12 ppm or higher, an advisory is issued; 0.3 ppm or higher triggers a warning; and 0.5 ppm or higher results in a severe warning.

In recent years, ozone advisories were issued 23 times in 2018, 41 times in 2019, and 33 times in 2020, with high concentrations frequently occurring in the eastern region.

Ozone is not a pollutant directly emitted from vehicles or factories but a secondary air pollutant formed by photochemical reactions between atmospheric pollutants and ultraviolet rays.

It mainly occurs from May to September during sunny afternoons. Due to its strong oxidizing power, high concentrations can irritate the respiratory system and eyes, adversely affecting health and damaging crop growth.

Baek Ha-ju, Director of the Gyeongbuk Health and Environment Research Institute, stated, "We will do our best to promptly provide air quality information so that residents, who are already facing many difficulties due to COVID-19, do not suffer additional hardships from air pollution such as fine dust or ozone, thereby protecting their health and property."

Meanwhile, by subscribing to the ozone and fine dust forecast text message service on the Gyeongbuk Province website's real-time air information page, residents can receive related information on their mobile phones when an ozone advisory is issued.

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