Lung disease

If you have lung disease, you may not be able to breathe as deeply or as vigorously as normal, and you may experience coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing, shortness of breath, and unusual fatigue. If you have any of these symptoms, reduce your exposure to particles and follow your doctor's advice.

Ozone can irritate your respiratory system, causing you to start coughing, feel an irritation in your throat and/or experience an uncomfortable sensation in your chest. It can reduce lung function and make it more difficult for you to breathe as deeply and vigorously as you normally would. When this happens, you may notice that breathing starts to feel uncomfortable.

If you are exercising or working outdoors, you may notice that you are taking more rapid and shallow breaths than normal.

Ozone can inflame and damage cells that line your lungs. Within a few days, the damaged cells are replaced and the old cells are shed-much in the way your skin peels after sunburn.

Ozone may aggravate chronic lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and bronchitis and reduce the immune system's ability to fight off bacterial infections in the respiratory system. Ozone may also cause permanent lung damage by accelerating the natural decline in lung function that occurs as part of the normal aging process.

When exposed to particles, people with existing lung disease may not be able to breathe as deeply or vigorously as they normally would. They may experience symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath.

Healthy people also may experience these effects, although they are unlikely to experience more serious effects.

Particle pollution also can increase susceptibility to respiratory infections and can aggravate existing respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic bronchitis, causing more use of medication and more doctor visits.

You can reduce your risk and protect yourself by using the air quality index (AQI) chart below to help you plan outdoor activities