UNC Professor Speaks on Ozone and our Health

Recently I posted about our area’s poor air quality. So many of our summer days have measured in the 90s-100s and therefore have been declared code orange days or days that are unhealthy for sensitive groups like the very young and elderly, or people with lung problems like asthma, as determined by the Air Quality Index Rating (AQI).

The danger comes from the combination of hot, hazy, humid, stagnant air, no chance of rain and pollutants which pose a situation like sunburn to our lungs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says even healthy people can experience up to 20% less lung function on bad ozone days if they’re outside too long.

On Thursday, August 12, Catawba’s Center for the Environment will host Dr. David Peden who will speak on “The Health Effects of Ozone and Asthma.” Dr. Peden is a UNC Chapel Hill professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, Microbiology/Immunology and Toxicology, and directs the university’s Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology. He is also involved as principal investigator working in conjunction with the EPA for a study titled, “Human Health Effects of Environmental Pollutants.” If you are interested in reading more about the event or registering to attend, click here.