Daejeon City to Operate 'Ozone Alert System' in East and West Districts from May to October

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Daejeon City announced on the 1st that it will operate an ozone warning system divided into eastern (Dong, Jung, Daedeok districts) and western (Seo, Yuseong districts) areas from May to October, when ozone concentration tends to rise due to increasing temperatures.

The ozone warning system is implemented to quickly issue warnings when high concentrations of ozone occur, aiming to prevent ozone-related damage. Warnings are issued as follows: a "caution" when the average ozone concentration over one hour is 0.12 ppm or higher, a warning at 0.3 ppm or higher, and a serious warning when it exceeds 0.5 ppm.

During the operation period of the ozone warning system, the Health and Environment Research Institute and local districts will operate warning situation rooms. When a warning is issued, ozone status is disseminated via fax and text messages to media outlets, schools, and related organizations that have subscribed to the air pollution warning message service. Additionally, warning information will be displayed on air environment electronic signboards.

Ozone is a secondary pollutant generated through photochemical reactions when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds emitted from vehicles and industrial sites react with sunlight. It irritates the eyes, nose, and respiratory system, and prolonged exposure to high concentrations of ozone is known to weaken lung function.

To reduce ozone generation, the city is currently expanding the supply of eco-friendly vehicles such as electric cars, while promoting emission reduction projects for operating vehicles, including early retirement of old diesel vehicles and installation of emission reduction devices, as well as support projects for installing low-NOx boilers for households.

Previously, Daejeon issued one ozone caution each in 2017 and 2018, but there have been no cases of warnings issued since 2019.

The city measures real-time ozone concentrations through 11 air pollution monitoring stations installed within the jurisdiction and disseminates ozone warning information via the Air Korea website and mobile app.

A city official stated, "When ozone concentration rises, people may feel stinging in their eyes and throat, and in severe cases, lung function may deteriorate, which can adversely affect health, so caution is necessary." He added, "We ask citizens to refrain from outdoor activities and use public transportation as much as possible when an ozone warning is issued."

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