It’s Up to Each of Us to Do Our Part to Help Curb Ozone Threat

San Diego faces an ozone zero-hour that even Interior Secretary Hodel would not suggest be solved by donning sunglasses, hats and sunscreen: this is ozone at ground level, more commonly known as smog.

The ozone that hurts our lungs and burns our eyes should be distinguished from ozone in the stratosphere, which provides essential protection from ultraviolet radiation. The Clean Air Act requires that we attain a safe and acceptable level of ozone by Dec. 31. It is almost certain we will not meet the deadline.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency is in the process of determining whether San Diego and the almost 70 other nonattainment areas will be penalized with construction bans or cut-offs of federal grants for air and sewage projects. While the potential penalties should be a source of concern, the greater problem is how we get our ozone down to an acceptable level. I believe it will require a fundamental change in the way we address environmental problems.

The quality of air in San Diego has been deteriorating steadily. In the three-year period from 1983 through 1985, the average ozone level in San Diego was found to be 0.21 parts per million, almost twice the 0.12 parts per million level considered safe by the federal government. The number of exceedances has been averaging 40 per summer. This has earned us the dubious distinction of being the city with the fifth worst ozone level in the nation.

At ground level, ozone is formed by a mixture of pollutants that react with sunlight. It harms human health, reduces crop yields and damages trees. Ozone harms our health because it interferes with breathing. It not only affects those with respiratory problems, but also healthy, exercising adults who breathe the ozone more deeply into their lungs.

The immediate effect is a reduction in the ability to perform strenuous activities. The physical symptoms that result from high ozone levels include coughing, wheezing, chest pain, sore throat, nausea, nasal congestion and labored breathing. The long-term effects are less well known, but studies show that high ozone levels can result in persistent lung impairment and harm to the immune system.

The warm, sunny climate that makes San Diego such a desirable place to live also makes it a prime incubator of ozone. It is these factors--warm temperatures and sunlight--that set off the chemical reactions that convert pollution into ozone. The major sources of the pollutants that go into making ozone include emissions from cars, surface coatings such as paint, and large, stationary sources such as oil refineries and power plants that burn fossil fuels.

Not only does a lot of ozone get created locally, but the southerly wind brings ozone from Los Angeles. The problem is also aggravated by San Diego’s booming growth, which continually adds new sources of pollution.

We can’t change the natural factors that contribute to our failing to meet the ozone standard--the wind that transports ozone from the north and the sunny, warm climate. What we can and must change is the human contribution to the problem. As a member of the House subcommittee on health and environment, I will be considering federal legislation to address the question of what to do once the Dec. 31 deadline passes. As a San Diegan, I will be working hard to see that the ozone in our city is brought down to an acceptable level.

San Diego should be given credit for the steps that it has taken to attain the federally mandated ozone level. The EPA has approved a State Implementation Plan for San Diego that includes some of the toughest control measures in the country. Despite these measures, however, it is obvious more must be done.

The immediate strategy likely will focus on tightening existing controls on the sources of the pollution that go into creating ozone. Part of this will involve increased enforcement of San Diego’s approved State Implementation Plan. For example, EPA is investigating four cases in which major firms failed to comply with regulations concerning spray painting.

Past control efforts have focused on the large, easily identifiable sources of ozone-creating pollution. The state Air Resources Board is considering extending these emissions controls to small sources of the pollution such as gasoline lawn mowers, bakeries and swimming pool heaters. Small polluters such as these account for almost half the pollutants that create ozone.

Increasing the stringency of emissions controls will be necessary. But I also believe that the long-term solution to the ozone problem lies in fundamental changes in the way we address environmental problems. We cannot just clean up our life style; we have to change it.

A look at some of the penalties for failure to attain a safe ozone level provides a clue to some of the long-term solutions. For example, one sanction available to the EPA is a cutoff of federal highway construction funds. Cars are a major source of ozone-producing emissions. Instead of focusing exclusively on cleaning up car emissions, we should reduce the use of cars by providing affordable public transportation.

Another possible sanction is a construction ban on large, stationary sources of ozone-producing emissions. If large sources such as power plants began using fuels other than fossil fuels, they would not fall under the ban. Some alternative energies may need more research and refining before they could be used on a massive scale. In the meantime, alternatives like congeneration make energy production more efficient and less harmful.

The growth of San Diego has offset the reductions achieved by controlling emissions. Uncontrolled growth will lead to uncontrollable pollution. We must acquire the mind-frame of considering the environmental impact of our actions before we take them, and not just clean up afterward.

Finally, individuals need to begin assuming responsibility for their contribution to San Diego’s ozone problem. As noted earlier, half the sources of ozone-producing emissions come from small sources. San Diegans need to learn how seemingly innocuous activities such as mowing the lawn with a gas mower, enjoying a fire, even using certain deodorants contribute to a significant environmental problem.

San Diego will miss the federally mandated deadline for attaining an acceptable level of ozone. There is a possibility sanctions will be imposed by the EPA. But there is a certainty that the high ozone levels in San Diego harm San Diegans.

The solution will be complicated in nature and some time in coming. It requires that all of us--not just the obvious contributors to the problem but the small contributors as well--cooperate in the effort to clean up our air. And it requires some fundamental changes in the way we approach environment problems.