Air Quality Forecast For Metro Denver, Boulder County: June 24

DENVER, CO — Pollution in the Front Range and Eastern Plains has improved over the past few days, Colorado public health officials said.

Ozone concentrations are expected to be in the 'good' to 'moderate' range Thursday in Denver's metro area and Boulder County cities, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said.

Fine particulate matter concentrations will also be in the 'good' to 'moderate' categories, and visibility will be in the 'moderate' category in Denver.

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

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.

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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.