On June 4, the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) warned the community about unhealthy air quality and high ozone levels, which can put children, seniors and those with underlying lung issues like asthma or bronchitis at risk.
Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church’s Rob Hansen, who teaches chemistry at Quinnipiac University, was interviewed by WTNH about the high ozone levels in Connecticut in a story that aired that day titled, “DEEP: Ozone levels high in Connecticut.”
Hansen explained that ozone gas is produced when nitrogen and oxygen combust. When this chemical reaction occurs in sunlight, ozone gas is created. Main sources include vehicle exhaust as well as pollutants from power plants, but this gas also comes from smaller engines like leaf blowers and mowers.
To reduce the production of ozone gas, people can mow, blow leaves, and even pump gas at times when there is less sunlight, such as in the early morning or evening, Hansen said.
Hansen (fourth from left) is pictured here with Pastor Josh Sullivan and members of the garden team in the Lord’s Bounty Community Garden at Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Hamden.