TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ­ A student and faculty member in The University of Alabama's College of Engineering recently created a Web site to raise awareness about air quality problems in Alabama.

The Web site provides a wealth of information on ground-level ozone, which is a major component of smog and a major health concern. Located at www.alabamacleanair.com, the material contains details on ground-level ozone, its causes and effects, and what can be done to prevent it. Also featured is a link to the daily ozone and air quality index for the state.

Don Whittington of Montgomery, a senior in civil and environmental engineering, researched and wrote the site as an extracurricular project. "This is a topic that isn't well understood by the public," Whittington said. "We developed this site to tell people why ground-level ozone is a problem, and that it can get worse or better, due to their actions."

According to Dr. Derek G. Williamson, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and faculty coordinator of the project, the site is intended to be an education and outreach tool. "This outreach effort is part of a larger project aimed at improving the efficiency of addressing the ozone issue in Alabama," Williamson said.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the national criteria for air quality, Whittington explained, and to achieve the EPA standard of "attainment" a city or locality cannot exceed set ozone level standards more than one time per calendar year. "Birmingham has come very close to reaching attainment," said Whittington, "so in that city the actions of the people can certainly influence the outcome, whether positively or negatively."

Preventing ground-level ozone can be as simple as keeping car engines tuned to manufacturer's specifications and tires properly inflated. Other prevention measures include carpooling, utilizing public transportation and biking or walking when possible, according to the Web site.

The EPA recently passed more stringent guidelines, said Whittington, and now other areas of Alabama will have the same difficulties as Jefferson County (Birmingham) in meeting ozone standards. According to a recent statement from Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, under the revised EPA guidelines Madison, Clay and Mobile counties have been added to Jefferson and Shelby as areas that are not reaching ozone attainment. The statement also said that Baldwin and Montgomery counties may soon be folded into this category as well.

The Web site development project was funded by a grant from the University Transportation Center of Alabama, which is headquartered on the UA campus. The site will be maintained and updated by Alabama Partners for Clean Air.

Ground-level ozone is a photochemical haze caused by the action of solar ultraviolet radiation on organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen in the atmosphere. These compounds are emitted from motor vehicles, power plants and other sources of combustion. The ozone forms readily in the atmosphere, usually during hot weather.

When inhaled, ozone can cause respiratory problems, aggravate asthma and impair the body's immune system, according to the Web site. Children, asthmatics and the elderly are most susceptible to the effects. Ground-level ozone also interferes with the ability of plants to produce and store food, leading to compromised growth and reproductive abilities. The effects are believed to be cumulative, affecting whole forests and ecosystems.

Economic impacts of ground-level ozone are also devastating. Statistics from the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce show that more than $4.5 billion in capital investment has been lost in that city due to the inability of industry to locate in Birmingham because of air quality. The agency also attributes 11,000 lost jobs to the problem.