Ozone is a strong oxidant gas that irritates human mucous and skin, inducing oxidative damage to cells and the lining fluids of the airways. Ground-level ozone, a major contributor to these health effects, is produced through photochemical reactions and stratospheric-to-troposphere transport, exhibiting distinct diurnal and seasonal variations. Ground-level ozone has been becoming a major challenge in the control of air quality worldwide. In 2019, the global population-weighted average seasonal 8-hour maximum ozone concentration was approximately 100 μg/m3, far exceeding the WHO guideline level of 60 μg/m3 (HEI, 2020). This global trend is also evident in China. Although substantial regulations have been implemented to control particulate pollution in recent years, ozone is becoming the primary pollutant with population-weighted ozone increasing by 9 μg/m3 from 2013 to 2017 (Y. H. Wang et al., 2020; Xue et al., 2020). Climate change providing favorable meteorological conditions for ozone formation has been and will continue to aggravate ozone pollution for a long time to come (Hegglin and Shepherd, 2009). It is crucial to turn attention to the health threats that are increasingly being provoked by ozone pollution.
Elsevier, Hygiene and Environmental Health Advances, 2024, 100115
