BOULDER, Colorado, October 9, 2008 (ENS) - Wildfires can hike ozone pollution to levels that violate U.S. public health and environmental standards, new research has determined.
The study by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research focused on California wildfires in 2007, finding that they repeatedly caused ground-level ozone to spike to unhealthy levels across a broad area, including much of rural California as well as neighboring Nevada.
Fires worsen ozone levels by releasing nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, which can form ozone near the fire or far downwind as a result of chemical reactions in sunlight.
The study was published today in "Geophysical Research Letters." It was funded by NASA and by the National Science Foundation, which sponsors NCAR....
