What is Ozone?

The difference between good ozone and bad ozone.

Ozone is a compound that occurs naturally in Earth’s atmosphere but is also formed by human activities. In the stratosphere, ozone prevents harmful solar ultraviolet radiation from reaching the Earth’s surface. That’s the “good” ozone.

Near the surface, however, ozone is pollution that’s harmful to people, pets and plants. More than half of the ground-level ozone comes from common daily activities, especially driving. This “bad” ozone has significant human health implications including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Renewable fuels such as American Ethanol reduce ground-level ozone levels and reduce the amount of particulate matter in vehicle emissions.

Ozone an asthma trigger in kids.

High levels of ozone are especially a problem for children with asthma. Reducing asthma triggers inside the home is a key focus of Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance, a non-profit organization focused on helping families improve the health of the in-home environment for children.

“It’s hard enough to control the in-home environment let alone what happens outdoors,” said president and CEO Kara Eastman. “But choosing the right fuel is a pretty simple action everyone can take to reduce ozone in our city. It’s especially easy to make that choice since fuel with American Ethanol is typically the lower priced choice at the pump.”