BOZEMAN, Mont. — Wildfire smoke in Montana is raising another air quality concern beyond what people can easily see.
Ground-level ozone is a harmful pollutant in the air people breathe in during fire season, and health officials say it can lead to coughing, lung and throat irritation and shortness of breath during smoky summer months.
Bozeman Health explained that sensitive groups, including young children, are especially vulnerable to the effects of ground-level ozone created by wildfires.
"Wildfire smoke contains a lot of really small particles that can get embedded really deep in the lungs of somebody breathing that in," said Troy Couture, a general pediatrician at Bozeman Health. "Young people tend to breathe in more air relative to their body size than adults do, so their tending to get more exposed than an adult would be," he said.
Lixu Jin is a former University of Montana student who studies wildfire smoke emissions. He explains that ground-level ozone forms when chemicals from wildfires interact with sunlight.
"So, EPA defines when the ozone concentration is larger than 70 ppb, that’s the day we should be concerned," said Lixu Jin, a former University of Montana student. "The ozone concentration is relatively unlikely to reach the threshold," he said.
Ground level ozone is not measured in a specific percentage, but rather PPB - parts per billion.
Jin says ground-level ozone concentrations in Montana are fairly low compared to other areas of the U.S. like New York or Los Angeles, where more pollution from cars or factories can occur.
In a NASA-funded study, researchers have also found that since 2015, wildfires have erased more than five percent of ozone protection control.
They also say that once ground-level ozone is in the air, it does not stay in one place but can move across regions.
Montana's Department of Environmental Quality measurements say the treasure state is currently sitting between good and moderate air quality in various parts of the state, showing how air quality is improving throughout Montana as summer winds down.
For sensitive groups, including younger children, older adults and people with health issues, officials say limiting outdoor activity and paying attention to symptoms related to smoke and ground level ozone remain important during the wildfire season.