Recommendations when thresholds are exceeded

Health precautions according to the information and recommendation level
The following recommendations have made for at-risk populations, including children, elderly people, people with chronic respiratory disorders, chronic heart disease, people with allergies or asthmatics:

• Avoid all intense physical activities or sport that significantly increase the volume of inhaled air and therefore pollutants,
• Avoid aggravating the effects of this pollution with other irritants, such as using solvents without suitable protection or, in particular, inhaling cigarette smoke, which is a key factor in the onset of clinical signs of respiratory allergies and asthma.
• People receiving medical treatment for respiratory ailments should strictly adhere to this treatment or adapt it, based on their doctor's advice.

Health precautions according to the alert level
It is recommended that the population as a whole:

• Should avoid all strenuous physical activities or sport that significantly increase the volume of inhaled air and therefore pollutants, in particular:
  • children under six years old: should not change essential travel arrangements, but should avoid walking and outdoor activities;
  • children between six and fifteen years old: should not change their usual travel arrangements, but should avoid outdoor activities and, in preference, practice light to moderately strenuous physical activities indoors, and should reschedule any indoor or outdoor sports competition;
  • teenagers and adults: should not change their planned travel arrangements but should avoid strenuous outdoor sports activities and endurance training, and wherever possible, reschedule planned outdoor sports competitions; people at risk or who are likely to experience discomfort or distress when exposed to such pollution should change or postpone their physical activities depending on the level of discomfort they experience.
• Avoid aggravating the effects of this pollution with other irritants, such as using solvents without suitable protection or, in particular, inhaling cigarette smoke, which is a key factor in the onset of clinical signs of respiratory allergies and asthma.
• People receiving medical treatment for respiratory ailments should strictly adhere to this treatment or adapt it, based on their doctor's advice.

Appeal for responsible citizenship:
It is recommended to leave personal vehicles at home i.e.:

• Use public transport wherever possible,
• Delay any non-essential travel
• For short distances, either walk, or use a bicycle,
• Use a car pool scheme by using one car to take several people (family, neighbours, work colleagues, etc.)

If you have to travel by car, it is recommended that you:

• Use a car with low pollutant emission levels and make sure the engine is properly regulated. If not, have your car checked by a garage.
• Reduce your driving speed and drive smoothly (no jerks or sudden accelerations),
• Avoid peak traffic times,
• In the event of ozone pollution, wherever possible avoid filling your car up at the hottest time of the day.

Given the role played by hydrocarbons and solvents as ozone precursors, in the event of ozone pollution it is recommended to cut down on any outdoors painting work whenever this requires the use of decorative paints or varnishes, or solvent-based paints for repainting cars.