Code Orange: Baby, can you feel the ozone?

Actually, I think I can, slightly. Went to Starbucks just now to get me a nice, piping-hot Pike to see me through the afternoon and evening, and checked the weather on my phone on the way in. It was 103, and “felt like” 105. Fortunately, my suit jacket was summer-weight. I’m not going to overdress for the weather or anything. My Mama didn’t raise no fools.

It didn’t feel that oppressive, though. Seemed like a crisp, clean sort of heat. But there may be something to this warning, which went a bit beyond the usual “heat advisory:”

…AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM TODAY…   THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL HAS ISSUED AN AIR QUALITY ACTION DAY…IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM TODAY.   A CODE ORANGE AIR QUALITY ALERT FOR OZONE HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE CENTRAL MIDLANDS REGION. THIS MEANS THAT GROUND LEVEL-OZONE CONCENTRATIONS WITHIN THE REGION WILL LIKELY EXCEED UNHEALTHY STANDARDS FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS.   CODE ORANGE MEANS ACTIVE CHILDREN AND ADULTS…AND PEOPLE WITH RESPIRATORY DISEASE…SUCH AS ASTHMA…SHOULD LIMIT PROLONGED OUTDOOR EXERTION.

As it happened, by the time I got back to the office after making one other stop, in and out and in and out of air-conditioning, I felt a bit tight. No, not tight like too much to drink, tight the way asthma comes on — a slight constriction in the bronchi. Which is unusual these days, with the drugs I take. Normally totally under control.

No big deal. The hot caffeine has already taken care of it. But you can see how this would be bad for anyone with a real problem.

Did you feel it at all — any difficulty in breathing today?

11 thoughts on “Code Orange: Baby, can you feel the ozone?

  1. Herb Brasher

    I was outside doing some yard stuff at 1:00 for about an hour and a half. Didn’t notice anything except that it was pretty warm, though it seemed slightly less so than yesterday.

  2. Brad

    Oh, Henry’s been that way… that’s from the Huntsman event several weeks back.

    Hey, did you notice I started that reply with “Oh Henry!”?

    I should get the folks here at ADCO to branch out into subliminal advertising. I think I have a knack…

  3. Matt Warthen

    I know what it means to exceed healthy standards, but exceeding unhealthy standards seems a bit much. Does that mean it’s so bad it’s no longer unhealthy?

  4. Greg Jones

    Henry should be named by one of those silly polls has having the best hair in SC Politics, or something like that.

  5. Steven Davis

    “Oh, Henry”… “Huntsman”???

    I’m totally lost as to what you were getting at, I reread the article, read the comments above it and can’t put that comment together with the rest.

  6. Brad

    Steven, let me explain…

    In the first comment above, Mary Pat Baldauf wrote, “New pic? When did HDM go white?” She was referring to the header image at the top of the page.

    “HDM” is Henry Dargan McMaster. You’ll notice that on his Wikipedia page, his hair isn’t nearly as white, and that’s probably the way people think of him.

    Also pictured are John Courson and Jon Huntsman.

  7. Steven Davis

    Okay now I get it, even though I only recognize McMaster’s name (didn’t’ know his initials, or ever notice his hair color) and have never heard of Huntsman (guessing he’s someone in the State House… or lawyer).

    Now that I get it, “Good one… I think”.

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