[The Hwankyung Ilbo] The number of ozone warnings issued across the country is increasing every year. According to the Ministry of Environment, the number of ozone warnings issued has doubled in the past three years.

Over the past three years, the number of ozone warnings issued was 241 times in 2016, 276 times in 2017 and 489 times in 2018.

The criteria for issuing ozone warnings are classified as ozone warnings (0.12 ppm/h or higher), ozone alerts (0.3 ppm/h or higher), and ozone heavy alarms (0.5 ppm/h or higher), and the local government heads issue the warning based on the ozone concentration standards.

According to the Ministry of Environment, the number of ozone warnings issued increased due to a steady rise in ozone concentrations and the expansion of the zone of the "warning" issuance. The ozone concentration was caused by the increase of nitrogen oxides (NOx) generated from mobile pollutants such as automobiles and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as gasoline and LPG.

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