Staff report

Conditions are favorable for ground-level ozone to be in the &uot;moderate&uot; range (Code Yellow) Tuesday afternoon and evening in the Hampton Roads area.

This means the concentration of ozone in the air may be at moderate levels, and unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion. Ground-level ozone is a colorless gas formed by the reaction of heat and sunlight with vehicle exhaust, gasoline fumes, solvent vapors and industrial emissions.

Air quality in 15 Virginia localities reached into the unhealthy range for some people on July 2-5, the Department of Environmental Quality reported Monday.

An ozone concentration higher than 84 parts per billion (ppb) in an eight-hour period is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.

DEQ’s preliminary data indicates that Suffolk’s ozone level on July 3, was 98 ppb at Tidewater Community College, while in Holland it registered at 87 ppb. On July 4, the Holland section was at 86 ppb, and 111 ppb for eight hour (125 ppb for one hour).