Texas Residents Told to Avoid Drive-Through Lanes in El Paso

People in El Paso, Texas, have been advised to avoid drive-through lanes because of poor air quality.

An update from the National Weather Service (NWS) says that atmospheric conditions are expected to be favorable for producing high levels of ozone pollution in the El Paso area.

At ground level, ozone is a harmful air pollutant and high levels typically occur on hot, sunny days, as ground-level ozone forms when pollutants emitted by vehicles, industrial facilities, and other sources react in the presence of sunlight.

The NWS update told people in El Paso: “You can help prevent ozone pollution by sharing a ride, walking, riding a bicycle, taking your lunch to work, avoiding drive-through lanes, conserving energy and keeping your vehicle properly tuned.”

The update applies to western, eastern and central El Paso County, including the cities of Downtown El Paso, West El Paso, Upper Valley, East and Northeast El Paso, Socorro, and Fort Bliss.

The advice came as the Texas Department of Environmental Quality has issued an Ozone Action Day for the El Paso Area, applicable from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. MDT, Wednesday, 14 August.

An Ozone Action Day is declared when weather conditions combined with pollution emissions are likely to form high levels of ground-level ozone.

These days are typically declared with the air-quality index expected to enter unhealthy ranges. Different air pollution control agencies may call these days based on different thresholds.

When ozone levels are predicted to be high, people are generally advised to avoid using pollution-emitting cars and try to conserve energy where possible.

Breathing in ground-level ozone can trigger a variety of health problems, including coughing, shortness of breath, worse asthma or bronchitis symptoms, and irritation and damage to airways, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Those most at risk include people with asthma, children, older adults, and people who spend a lot of time being active outdoors.

Newsweek has reached out to the Texas Department of Environmental Quality for further information via email.

A number of Ozone Action Days have been announced in Texas in the last month, with millions of residents across the state similarly warned against using drive-through lanes on August 3.

In July, residents in some parts of Texas were also told to avoid using their cars.

Ozone Action Day forecasts are made daily in nine different Texas metropolitan areas during the ozone-forecast season, which runs roughly from March to November, with slightly different windows of time for different areas.