Ultimatum: If You Want To Breathe, Cut Your Emissions Thursday

Not the preferred method of transportation on Thursday

​If you don't want to contribute to noxious ground-level ozone pollution that will suffocate (or at least irritate the lungs) of your fellow man, leave your car at home on Thursday.

Yeah, yeah, you say you've been dealt enough guilt for driving to work each day, contributing to the environmental demise of the planet. But it will be especially important tomorrow. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has announced the 10th "Spare the Air" alert since high temperatures predicted for around the Bay Area tomorrow will take their toll on the air quality when mixed with vehicle exhaust.

The ground-level ozone pollution most affects kids, seniors, and people with heart or lung problems. The gunky air can irritate throats, cause congestion and chest pain, and trigger asthma.

So what to do? Take public transit, bike, walk, or carpool. Work from home. Move your outdoor exercise to the early morning hours when the ozone concentrations are lower.

As the Air District's executive officer Jack Broadbent said in a statement seemingly ripped off from a Hallmark card: "Remember, any ride is worth sharing."

Photo   |   WmMitchell