Toward a biologically significant and usable standard for ozone that will also protect plants

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 150; no. 1; pp. 85 - 95
• Main Authors: Paoletti, Elena, Manning, William J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: air pollution; Air Pollution - adverse effects; Air Pollution - analysis; Air Pollution - prevention & control; Air quality; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Applied sciences; Atmospheric pollution; Biological and medical sciences; Crops, Agricultural - drug effects; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on plants and fungi; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Exposure - standards; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; greenhouse gases; laws and regulations; Oxidants, Photochemical - analysis; Oxidants, Photochemical - standards; Oxidants, Photochemical - toxicity; ozone; Ozone - analysis; Ozone - standards; Ozone - toxicity; Ozone effect; phytotoxins; plant protection; Plants - drug effects; Pollution; Risk assessment; Risk Assessment - methods; standards and grades; Tropospheric ozone; Vegetation; United States; Europe; North America; America; Asia; Air quality; Tropospheric ozone; Ozone effect; Risk assessment; Vegetation; Photochemical oxidants; Environmental policy; Toxicity; Troposphere; Definition; Ozone; Air quality standard; Phytotoxicity; Air pollution; Regulation; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2007.06.037

Ozone remains an important phytotoxic air pollutant and is also recognized as a significant greenhouse gas. In North America, Europe, and Asia, incidence of high concentrations is decreasing, but background levels are steadily rising. There is a need to develop a biologically significant and usable standard for ozone. We compare the strengths and weaknesses of concentration-based, exposure-based and threshold-based indices, such as SUM60 and AOT40, and examine the O
3 flux concept. We also present major challenges to the development of an air quality standard for ozone that has both biological significance and practicality in usage.
Current standards do not protect vegetation from ozone, but progress is being made.