How extreme heat increases pollutants

CHARLOTTE — Several air-quality monitors in Mecklenburg County provide real-time data on several local pollutants, and when it’s this hot outside, those numbers tend to increase.

Mecklenburg County’s Air Quality Program manager, Danielle Jones, says monitors help predict whether we’re due for a healthy or hazardous air quality day.

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“On days when the area is super stagnant, there’s not a lot of wind, there’s lots of sunlight, high temperatures, conditions are typically more favorable for ozone formation,” Jones said.

On hot days, sunlight speeds up reactions between pollutants, creating ozone, which on the ground is known as smog.

High pressure, which typically comes with heat waves, helps keep it close to where we breathe.

“We know that there can be potential health impacts, in particular for sensitive groups like children, older people, active adults, people with pre-existing conditions like cardiovascular illnesses or respiratory illnesses like asthma,” Jones said.

High-pressure systems can also bring in or push down particle pollution, which is what creates hazy skies when wildfire smoke blows in.

Jones said it can also originate much closer to home.

“The largest contributor to the local air pollution that we typically see is coming from motor vehicles,” Jones said.

Heat not only magnifies pollutants, but it can also add more stress to the body for people at risk.