At this time, Iberia, St. Martin and St. Mary parishes are not considered out of compliance, but engineer manager Sak Supatanafinkasem, of the state's air quality assessment division of the Department of Environmental Quality in Baton Rouge, said residents should always be mindful of the potential for poor air.
"We are looking mostly to the five Baton Rouge parishes, which we have been trying to bring back into compliance for the last 20 years," said Supatanafinkasem.
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Supatanafinkasem said his department is responsible for taking statewide air samples and compiling reports of the data.
Using 26 air testing monitors positioned heavily throughout the state's problem parishes and scattered throughout remaining areas, the air quality division is incapable of determining exact ozone levels in areas outside of the testing locations.
The readings from locations with testing equipment are categorized under "attainment" or "non-attainment" depending on whether they meet the current standard of 85 parts per billion (ppb).
The proposed standard is 70-75 ppb, with the finalized standard expected by March 12, 2008.
Areas outside the testing sites, such as Iberia, St. Martin and St. Mary parishes, are categorized as "non-classified" as there is no true way to determine compliance, and there is no suspected reason for the areas to be considered a hazard to the community's health.
Current DEQ statistics state that Lafayette is at risk of reaching non-attainment status and Supatana-finkasem recommends that surrounding parishes do what they can to help keep ozone at a reasonable level.
According to the EPA Web site, ozone is the primary component of urban smog and is known to cause lung damage.
Converting city buses to natural gas, carpooling and refraining from cutting grass when high ozone is predicted are all ways that cities may contribute to keeping ozone levels at their lowest.
For more information about the proposed ozone changes, visit www.regulations.gov.
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