NC starts ozone pollution alerts today

Published 12:00 am Monday, April 1, 2013

RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina environmental agencies are renewing daily air quality forecasts for ozone pollution in the state’s metropolitan areas.
The state Department of Environment and Natural Resources says the ozone season begins Monday. Air quality has been good so far this year due to cool, wet weather.
State and local air quality programs issue air quality forecasts for ozone from April through October in the Asheville, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Hickory, Greensboro, Raleigh and Rocky Mount areas.
Daily air quality forecasts focus on the pollutant likely to reach the highest level on a given day, which could be ozone or particle pollution. The forecasts are color-coded. Green means good air quality, yellow means moderate quality, orange indicates the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups, and red warns the air is unhealthy for everyone.