Ozone

Ozone can cause poor air quality during summer. Find out where ozone comes from, how it can impact your health and how we monitor it.

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Ozone (O3) is a gas. It forms when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides react in the atmosphere. This happens during warm, sunny weather. Ozone is the main pollutant in summer smog.

The main sources of VOCs and nitrogen oxides include:

At ground level, ozone pollutes the air. But high in the atmosphere ozone protects people from harmful UV radiation. Learn about the impact of ozone depleting substances on the ozone layer.

Ozone and the law

The general environmental duty applies to managing emissions that contribute to ozone.

The Environment Reference Standard (ERS) sets the standard for ozone in the air.

Businesses must control VOCs and nitrogen oxides from their activities to:

  • prevent harm
  • comply with their legal duties
  • meet community expectations.

Under the Environment Protection Regulations 2021(opens in a new window), regulated petrol producers must meet vapour pressure standards over the summer months to help control ozone.

In some cases, you must get our permission to conduct activities that release VOCs and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. Our permissions focus on activities that may have a significant impact on human health and the environment. Permissions have legal conditions that must be followed.

Activities that involve VOCs and nitrogen oxides emissions require the permission L01 – General discharges or emissions to the atmosphere.

Our role in ozone

We monitor air quality around Victoria. We have air monitoring equipment that measures air pollutants such as ozone. The data we collect supports our daily air quality forecasts.

We compare this data with ozone standards in the ERS. The ERS provides a benchmark to understand air quality and how to protect it – for example, when we assess permission applications for air emissions.

Learn more about how we monitor the quality of the environment.

Impact of ozone on your health

Breathing in high levels of ozone can affect your health. It can irritate the lining of your throat and lungs. This can make it difficult to breathe. People most sensitive to ozone include:

  • children
  • older people
  • people with lung conditions.

If you feel unwell, follow your treatment plan or seek medical advice.

If you're concerned about your health because of air quality, find out who to contact.

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