In Vitro Methods to Test Materials for Ozone Protective Capabilities

As a sign of the times, in addition to the morning traffic and weather reports, many large news networks are also reporting ground level ozone measurements as an index of air pollution. Ozone has long been known to induce respiratory inflammation,¹ and excessively high levels of ozone can put the elderly or individuals with compromised respiratory function at risk for injury. Currently 0.1 parts per million (ppm) is the maximum ozone level allowed in key European cities; however, most typical US cities have levels ranging between 0.1 and 0.5 ppm, with cities such as Los Angeles reaching highs of 2.0 ppm.²