Environmental Health and Safety

Ozone season in Connecticut begins on May 1st and continues through September 30th. Fuel-burning equipment such as emergency generators are high-emitters of nitrogen oxides. Nitrogen oxides emissions, in certain weather conditions, lead to the formation of ground-level ozone, which is the primary cause of smog. When hot temperatures and sustained sunlight cause a buildup of ground-level ozone, the Connecticut air regulations restrict the non-emergency operation of emergency engines in order to prevent the worsening of air quality since poor air quality may cause sensitive individuals to have difficulty breathing. 

During the ozone season routine testing and exercising of emergency engines must not be performed without first checking the CT DEEP’s ozone forecast for the day at the link below. 

Connecticut’s Air Quality forecast webpage 

Visit this link and click on “Forecast for the Regulated Community” to learn whether there are forecast-dependent operating restrictions in place for the day.  

Any time there is an ozone-alert, EHS sends out an email notification to a distribution list of UConn employees who need this information.  

If you are a UConn employee who is not on this distribution list and would like to be, please contact Jennifer Williams at (860) 486-8148 or jennifer.m.williams@uconn.edu.