TCEQ issues Ozone Action Days for parts of Texas

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has issued Ozone Action Days for parts of Texas due to unhealthy amounts of ozone in the area.

TCEQ says Ozone Action Days will be in effect Sunday for the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso, and Tyler-Longview areas. All areas except for Dallas-Fort Worth are expected to go back down to moderate levels of ozone for Monday and Tuesday.

The commission says that light winds, very hot temperatures, abundant afternoon sunshine, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to be unhealthy for sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease such as asthma, children and teens, older adults, and people who are routinely active outdoors for six or more hours a day.

TCEQ recommends those who could be affected to reduce their exposure by choosing less strenuous activities or shortening the amount of active outdoor time.

Ozone could reach the upper end of the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range on the south to southwest sides of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the lower to middle end on the west to northwest sides of the El Paso area, and the lower end on the north side of the Austin area and in parts of the Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland-Odessa, Tyler-Longview, and Waco-Killeen areas.

Ozone could also reach the upper end of the "Moderate" range or possibly higher in parts of the Houston area; the middle to upper end in parts of the San Antonio area; and the lower to middle end in parts of the Big Bend and Bryan-College Station areas.

TCEQ says that fine particulate levels may also raise the daily PM2.5 AQI into the lower end of the "Moderate" range for urban locations, particularly the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Tyler-Longview, and Waco-Killeen areas and to the upper end of the "Good" range (perhaps with an isolated low "Moderate" or two) in parts of the Bryan-College Station and San Antonio areas.