Drivers must slow in ozone alert
The Ile-de-France, Var and Bouches-du-Rhône are being affected by high ozone pollution levels
DRIVERS in the Ile-de-France, Var and Bouches-du-Rhône have been warned to slow down in an ozone pollution alert.
The warning comes after air pollution monitors said ozone levels were about to exceed safe levels.
Drivers in the Var and Bouches-du-Rhône face speed limits reduced by 30kph on all roads between 6.00 and 21.00, but only if driving at more than 70kph. Factories have also been warned to reduce emissions.
Airparif, the body which monitors air quality in the Paris region, said the ozone level had already passed the first level of alert which was 180mg of ozone per cubic metre of air. It was feared this could rise to as much as 240mg.
Increased ozone levels can be dangerous for people with lung conditions and can cause breathing difficulties and eye problems, especially for old people and those under 15.
Ozone in the stratosphere helps protect the Earth from ultraviolet rays but at ground level it damages living tissue, with lungs especially badly affected.
It is formed when strong sunlight reacts with car and industrial emissions and gets worse in the early afternoon after the sun has reacted with rush-hour fumes.
Photo: Kecko
