Ozone biomonitoring: A versatile tool for science, education and regulation

Ground-level ozone (O3) pollution can adversely affect human health and vegetation, thus being an important environmental issue nowadays. Ozone biological monitoring (biomonitoring) is a method of O3 monitoring by observing quantitative changes in living organisms physically present in a specific environment. Here, we provide a concise view of the field of O3 biomonitoring, along with recent advances that are expected to advance this field in the future. We also recommend that O3 biomonitoring is included in citizen science initiatives as well as in worldwide curricula of educational institutions. Policymakers and the general public may not understand biomonitoring data; hence, a major challenge is how to communicate the information to the audience in a way that permits the best comprehension.