Air Quality Improves In Metro Denver, Boulder

The air quality has finally improved for parts of the Front Range and Eastern Plains.

Ozone concentrations are expected to be in the 'good' to 'moderate' categories in metro Denver and Boulder, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said.

"Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion from noon to 8 pm on Saturday," the agency said in its update.

Fine particulate matter concentrations from wildfire smoke along the Front Range and Eastern Plains are expected to be in the 'good' category Saturday, and visibility will be in the 'moderate' to 'good' categories in Denver.

Carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide levels are expected to be in the 'good' category Saturday, health officials said.

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Metro Denver is the 8th worst metro area in the nation for high ozone days, according to the American Lung Association's 2021 "State of the Air" report released in April.

Ozone pollution, often called smog, forms when gases that come out of tailpipes and smokestacks, among other sources, come into contact with sunlight. Ozone is "one of the most dangerous and widespread pollutants in the U.S.," the lung association said.

Ozone can damage people's airways, make their lungs more susceptible to infection and aggravate lung diseases, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

>> Read the full air quality advisory here.