Opinion: Ozone not just ugly, but deadly

The Coloradoan news story and resulting readers poll highlighted a possible change to the dirty-burning gasoline that we currently use in our cars in Colorado. Changes to this gasoline would likely result in a price-per-gallon increase of 11 cents to 19 cents. The lead paragraph reads, "Would you be willing to spend $5 to $10 more on gas each month if it meant a more picturesque northern Front Range?" A readers poll followed, using the same language and resulting in the majority of respondents voting "no."

I say that is the wrong question. Yes, ground-level ozone is visible in the form of smog and ruins our "view shed." But a more important point is the risk to our health that is posed by high ozone levels. The story addressed this in only one sentence:

"Ozone and smog inhalation can lead to respiratory health issues, especially for children and the elderly, and many studies have tied it to heart disease."

Several comprehensive studies from large health organizations and universities around the world have linked heart disease and high ozone levels, including one from Rice University in Houston, prompting "more CPR training in at-risk communities." Fort Collins is already an at-risk community due to high ozone levels, appearing on the top-10 list of cities in the U.S. with the worst ozone levels, second only to Denver among Front Range cities. This will only increase as more car-reliant singles and families migrate to the area and affordability pushes employees to live far from the workplace.

As Fort Collins' exponential population growth continues, expect more health advisories with ozone levels in the danger zone, resulting in recommendations to stay indoors so as to avoid increased risk of out-of-hospital heart attacks and respiratory distress.

People who choose Fort Collins because they love the outdoors and outdoor activities can expect to spend more time indoors as the number of health advisory days rise, since those most at risk of harm from ground-level ozone exposure includes people who are active outdoors as well as outdoor workers, children, older adults, and people with asthma and other respiratory conditions. Short-term exposure to high levels of this type of ozone pollution has even been found to cause premature death.

So a more important and helpful question for a Coloradoan readers poll might be: "Would you be willing to spend more on gas each month if it meant increasing your lifespan and improving your health?"

That's a poll result that would interest me.

Shari Due is a Fort Collins resident.