Ozone Concentration

This data is included as part of the Environmental Health Disparities Version 3.0 map. To see this map, visit our webpage. For more technical information on this map and the model used, visit our Environmental Health Disparities Map Report Version 3.0. Background Ozone is a gas in the upper atmosphere that helps us by absorbing harmful sunlight. However, when ozone forms closer to the ground, it becomes a harmful pollutant. Ground-level ozone is created by chemical reactions between pollutants like volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are released by vehicles, factories, wood burning, and gasoline. Ozone levels can change based on sunlight and emissions. Ozone levels are often higher on sunny days or in places with lots of traffic or factories. Breathing in too much ozone can cause serious health problems, especially for people living with lung or heart conditions. It is linked to higher rates of asthma, more hospital visits, and even early death. Ozone pollution also harms the environment. It can stunt plant growth, damage crops, and make it harder for plants to absorb carbon dioxide. Evidence Breathing in ozone can cause inflammation of the airways and increase the risk of early death. In children, it can lead to more hospitalizations for breathing trouble [1]. Factors like age, sex, and race can affect how vulnerable people are to ozone exposure [2, 3]. Dust and wildfires can increase ozone levels and lead to more emergency room visits [4]. Over 123 million people in the U.S. are exposed to harmful ozone levels, contributing to an estimated 30,000 to 64,000 early deaths. To fully understand ozone’s effects, more research is needed on how factors like age, job, sex, and race play a role. The strongest evidence shows that the elderly, women, people who are unemployed, and people in blue-collar jobs are at higher risk. There is less evidence about differences based on education, income, or access to central air conditioning [5, 6]. Ozone pollution harms ecosystems too. It can stunt plant growth, damage crops, and reduce plants’ ability to absorb carbon dioxide, which is important for fighting climate change. This harms food production and causes broader environmental damage [7]. Data Source Ozone 2022-2024 estimates from the Washington State Department of Ecology Methods This measure looks at peak ozone concentrations from 2022-2024. These are estimated for 5km x 5km grid cells across Washington. Concentrations are estimated by combining expected levels from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast model with measured concentrations from the Washington Ambient Air Monitoring Network. The NOAA forecast model accounts for emissions, meteorology, and topography. The differences between the modeled and measured concentrations are calculated across the grid. This is combined with the forecast model to produce daily maximum 8-hour ozone concentrations. The 4th highest annual daily ozone concentration (as is defined by the EPA to be used to compare to the federal standard) is then calculated for all points in the grid. Each census tract is assigned the ozone level of its most populated grid cell. Grid cell populations were estimated using 2020 census block groups. The Department of Ecology created custom ranking which place the data into 3 ppb intervals: 43–45.9, 46–48.9, 49–51.9, 52–54.9, 55–57.9, 58–60.9, 61–63.9, 64–66.9, 67–69.9, and 70+. Areas not meeting federal health standards were given a rank of 10. More information about federal ozone standards can be found at https://www.epa.gov/ground-level- ozone-pollution/timeline-ozone-national-ambient-air-quality-standards-naaqs Ozone monitoring data are available from the Washington Department of Ecology at https://enviwa.ecology.wa.gov/mobile The NOAA ozone forecasts are available at: https://airquality.weather.gov/ Caveats This method assumes ozone levels are the same throughout each census tract. However, ozone can vary within smaller areas, especially in rural areas where census tracts are typically large. Because the same ozone level is used for the entire census tract, it might not reflect the true air quality in some communities. For more detailed data, 5km x 5km ozone data has been added as an overlay on the EHD map. Sources Fann, N., Lamson, A.D., Anenberg, S.C., Wesson, K., Risley, D., Hubbell, B.J. (2012). Estimating the national public health burden associated with exposure to ambient PM2.5 and ozone. Risk analysis: an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis, 32(1), 81–95. Bell, M.L., Dominici, F. (2008). Effect modification of the short-term effects of ozone on mortality in older adults. American Journal of Epidemiology, 167(6), 672-7. Medina-Ramón, M., Schwartz, J. (2007). Temperature, temperature extremes, and mortality: a study of acclimatisation and effect modification in 50 US cities. Occupational and environmental medicine, 64(12), 827–33. Kelly, F.J., Fussell, J.C. (2020). Global nature of airborne particle toxicity and health effects: a focus on megacities, wildfires, dust storms and residential biomass burning. Toxicology research, 9(4), 331-45. Bell, M.L., Zanobetti, A., Dominici, F. (2014). Who is more affected by ozone pollution? A systematic review and meta-analysis. American journal of epidemiology, 180(1), 15–28. Malley, C.S., Henze, D.K., Kuylenstierna, J.C.I., Vallack, H.W., Davila, Y., Anenberg, S.C., et al. (2017). Updated Global Estimates of Respiratory Mortality in Adults ≥30Years of Age Attributable to Long-Term Ozone Exposure. Environmental health perspectives, 125(8), 087021. Citation Washington Tracking Network, Washington State Department of Health. Web. "Ozone Concentration". Data obtained from the Department of Ecology, 2022-2024 Ozone Concentration Data. Published September 2025.

本数据集作为《环境健康差异第三版》（Environmental Health Disparities Version 3.0）地图的组成部分收录。如需查看该地图，请访问我方官方网页。如需了解该地图及所用模型的详细技术细节，请参阅《环境健康差异地图报告第三版》（Environmental Health Disparities Map Report Version 3.0）。

## 背景
臭氧（Ozone）是高层大气中的气体，可通过吸收有害太阳光保护人类。但当臭氧在近地面生成时，会转变为有害污染物。近地面臭氧由挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）、氮氧化物（NOx）等污染物间的化学反应生成，此类污染物多来自机动车、工厂、木材燃烧及汽油排放。臭氧浓度随日照条件与排放情况波动，通常在晴天或交通繁忙、工厂密集的区域浓度更高。吸入过量臭氧可引发严重健康问题，尤以肺部或心脏疾病患者为甚；其与哮喘发病率升高、急诊就诊次数增加乃至过早死亡均存在关联。臭氧污染亦会破坏生态环境，可抑制植物生长、损害农作物，并降低植物吸收二氧化碳的能力。

## 研究证据
研究显示，吸入臭氧可引发气道炎症，增加过早死亡风险。在儿童群体中，臭氧暴露可导致呼吸相关住院人次增加[1]。年龄、性别、种族等因素会影响人群对臭氧暴露的易感性[2,3]。扬尘与野火会推高臭氧浓度，进而增加急诊就诊量[4]。美国境内超1.23亿民众暴露于有害臭氧浓度环境中，由此导致的过早死亡病例预计达3万至6.4万例。为全面厘清臭氧的健康影响，需进一步研究年龄、职业、性别及种族等因素的作用机制。现有最充分的证据表明，老年人、女性、失业者及蓝领工人面临的臭氧暴露风险更高。目前针对教育程度、收入水平或中央空调可及性差异带来的健康影响，相关研究证据仍较为有限[5,6]。臭氧污染同样会损害生态系统，可抑制植物生长、破坏农作物，并削弱植物吸收二氧化碳的能力——而该过程对应对气候变化至关重要，进而会损害粮食生产并引发更广泛的环境破坏[7]。

## 数据来源
2022-2024年臭氧浓度估算数据取自华盛顿州生态部（Washington State Department of Ecology）。

## 研究方法
本指标针对2022-2024年的臭氧峰值浓度展开分析，以华盛顿州境内5km×5km的网格单元（grid cell）为估算单位。浓度估算整合了美国国家海洋和大气管理局（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA）预报模型的预期浓度，与华盛顿州环境空气监测网络的实测浓度。NOAA预报模型会综合考量排放、气象及地形因素。随后计算网格内模型预测值与实测值的差值，并将该差值与预报模型结合，生成每日最大8小时臭氧浓度。针对网格内所有点位，计算年度每日臭氧浓度的第四高值（即美国环境保护署（EPA）规定用于与联邦空气质量标准比对的指标）。每个普查区域（census tract）将被分配至其人口最密集的网格单元的臭氧浓度等级。网格单元的人口数据基于2020年普查街区组进行估算。生态部制定了自定义分级规则，将数据划分为以下3ppb区间：43–45.9、46–48.9、49–51.9、52–54.9、55–57.9、58–60.9、61–63.9、64–66.9、67–69.9及70+。未达到联邦健康标准的区域将被赋予等级10。如需了解更多联邦臭氧标准的相关信息，可访问https://www.epa.gov/ground-level-ozone-pollution/timeline-ozone-national-ambient-air-quality-standards-naaqs。
华盛顿州生态部提供的臭氧监测数据可通过以下链接获取：https://enviwa.ecology.wa.gov/mobile。NOAA臭氧预报数据可通过以下链接获取：https://airquality.weather.gov/。

## 局限性说明
本方法假设每个普查区域内的臭氧浓度均一，但臭氧浓度在更小尺度范围内会存在差异，尤其是在普查区域通常较大的农村地区。由于整个普查区域采用统一的臭氧浓度值，可能无法准确反映部分社区的真实空气质量状况。如需获取更精细的臭氧数据，5km×5km的网格级臭氧数据已作为叠加层添加至《环境健康差异》地图中。

## 参考文献
[1] Fann, N., Lamson, A.D., Anenberg, S.C., Wesson, K., Risley, D., Hubbell, B.J. (2012). 评估环境PM2.5与臭氧暴露相关的全国公共健康负担. 《风险分析》（Risk analysis: an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis）, 32(1), 81–95.
[2] Bell, M.L., Dominici, F. (2008). 臭氧对老年人短期致死效应的效应修饰. 《美国流行病学杂志》（American Journal of Epidemiology）, 167(6), 672-7.
[3] Medina-Ramón, M., Schwartz, J. (2007). 温度、极端温度与死亡率：美国50个城市的气候适应与效应修饰研究. 《职业与环境医学》（Occupational and environmental medicine）, 64(12), 827–33.
[4] Kelly, F.J., Fussell, J.C. (2020). 空气颗粒物毒性与健康效应的全球特征：以特大城市、野火、沙尘暴及民用生物质燃烧为焦点. 《毒理学研究》（Toxicology research）, 9(4), 331-45.
[5] Bell, M.L., Zanobetti, A., Dominici, F. (2014). 哪些人群更易受臭氧污染影响？一项系统综述与荟萃分析. 《美国流行病学杂志》（American journal of epidemiology）, 180(1), 15–28.
[6] Malley, C.S., Henze, D.K., Kuylenstierna, J.C.I., Vallack, H.W., Davila, Y., Anenberg, S.C., et al. (2017). 长期臭氧暴露导致的30岁及以上成人呼吸死亡率全球更新估算. 《环境健康展望》（Environmental health perspectives）, 125(8), 087021.

## 引用格式
华盛顿追踪网络（Washington Tracking Network）、华盛顿州卫生部（Washington State Department of Health）. 网络发布. "Ozone Concentration". 数据取自生态部2022-2024年臭氧浓度数据集. 2025年9月发布.