The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) Air Quality Program has issued an orange Ozone Alert for Thursday, June 23.
This alert means that an unhealthy level of ground-level ozone is expected tomorrow in the Kansas City region.
More than half of all emissions that lead to ozone pollution are caused by everyday activities, such as driving. There are five simple actions everyone can take to help reduce pollution from driving on Ozone Alert days:
MARC suggested carpooling, taking public transit, biking or walking for short trips. Also, residents may want to combine errands all in one trip rather than taking several trips. Plus, residents can postpone refueling until later.
Free carpool matching is available through the RideShare Connection service provided by MARC at www.ridesharekc.org.
On Thursday and all orange Ozone Alert days, municipal bus fare on all regular routes are reduced to 75 cents, and the streetcar is free. For more information visit ridekc.org or call 816-221-0660.
Those who walk or ride bikes should try to schedule trips before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. and avoid prolonged exposure to outdoor air. Ozone pollution may cause chest pains, coughing, nausea, throat irritation and difficulty breathing even in healthy adults.