These ozone action days have led to a minimal uptick in calls to lung doctors in Washtenaw County. But local respiratory experts say it’s pretty hard to distinguish lately between allergy and ozone cases.
Local pulmonologists say it’s important to distinguish between the ozone in the sky and that on the ground.
Meilan Han is chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Michigan Medicine. She says on hot days with little wind, the sun combines with air pollution and produces a lot of low-lying ozone on the ground.
“At the ground level where it is accumulating for the last week or so, it is harmful for the lungs. It can be very irritating, it can lead to wheezing episodes, particularly for people who have underlying lung conditions, like asthma."
Han says she’s been receiving many more calls from patients this week. Some have allergy flare-ups, and others are complaining that breathing is a problem when they step outside. It is the latter, she says, who are likely being impacted by ozone pollution.
She says a good rain should wash it away.
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