DAPHNE, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has banned outdoor burning from May through October for 12 counties in Alabama, including Baldwin.

The goal is to keep environmental health hazards down during warmer months, when ozone is more likely to form at ground level, according to a news release. Ozone — a gas composed of three oxygen atoms — is a respiratory irritant, though it is beneficial to the atmosphere.

Dr. Leonard Caputo, medical director of the Daphne-based Asthma and Allergy Institute said ozone causes asthma and allergy problems. He said he sees an influx of patients when smoke and various particles are widespread.

What’s the connection?

“Fine particulate matter is found in smoke from burning vegetation, construction materials and debris,” Jerome Hand, ADEM’s public relations director, said.

Business boomed at Caputo’s office during the recent wild fires in Mexico and Atlanta, Ga., whose effects were far-reaching — all the way to the Eastern Shore, Caputo said.

“People would come in by the droves. Some individuals are very sensitive when it’s miles away,” Caputo said. The particles hurt people who are sensitive to such materials, he said.

He gave the example that miners once took canaries into mines to test for airborne poisons.

Since birds were more sensitive to air toxins, the canaries would stop singing if they sensed poisons; miners would know to use caution.

Similarly, people with respiratory problems are the first affected by smoky atmospheres and unwanted particles.

They’ll say, “it’s the smoke in the air, it’s bothering me — we should be listening because they have vulnerable biosensors,” Caputo said.

“It’s a panoply; there’s so many problems: sneezing, wheezing and itching. It causes inability to go outside and play,” he said. “There’s fatigue. Older people want to go for walks outside and they can’t. Even walking to the mailbox can be a problem.”

Alternatives to burning that protect neighbors and the environment — and stay within ADEM requirements — include composting and making mulch with the materials, according to a news release.

“We encourage people to compost their yard wastes and recycle as many things as they can,” Hand said.

ADEM is enforcing the Clean Air Act, a federal law that regulates air emissions, according to its Web site.

“We are constantly implementing programs and activities to protect the health and well being of Alabama citizens,” ADEM Director Trey Glenn said. “The open burning ban is a useful tool to help us safeguard our environment and ensure Alabama maintains clean air.”