A Closer Look at Air Pollution in Houston: - Green Houston

In summary, we view the comparative risk process as a decisiontool for organizing and analyzing information about airpollution in a manner that will aid decision makers as theyPhoto by Heidi Bethelchoose among competing priorities.ly affect those most vulnerable - the young, the elderly, the sick,the pregnant, the unborn, and the poor. Cumulative health risksfrom combined effects of concurrent exposure to multiple airpollutants are a particular concern in vulnerable populations.Socio-economically disadvantaged groups, for example, aremore likely to live near industrial facilities and busy roadways,where air pollution levels are typically elevated. Moreover, theyare also more likely to work in hazardous occupations, to residein dilapidated housing with inadequate air conditioning, to eata substandard diet, to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol, andto generally live more stressful and less healthful lifestyles. Ittherefore makes sense from a public health perspective todirect attention and resources toward high-risk groups so as toanticipate and prevent adverse effects, if possible. Failing that,emphasis should be placed on stopping or limiting exposuresthat damage the health and well-being of the most vulnerablein our society.As we look for cost-effective solutions, it is imperative tounderstand and acknowledge that air pollution is a by-productof our culture and our way of life. It is produced as a directresult of choices we make, both individually and collectively,about energy sources, technologies, economic activities, andlifestyles. While the relative contribution of a particular sourceor source category may vary from place to place, it is theblending together of combined emissions from numerouspoint, mobile, and area sources that makes Houston's airquality unhealthful. Thus, focusing on a single type of source,no matter how obvious or obnoxious, is unlikely, by itself, tosolve the problem.In summary, we view the comparative risk process as adecision tool for organizing and analyzing information about airpollution in a manner that will aid decision makers as theychoose among competing priorities. It is not, in our opinion, adecision rule that automatically and inevitably leads to a specificconclusion about resource allocation. We hope our risk rankingswill be a useful adjunct to other relevant information, andthat results will contribute to informed decisions not only abouthow to use available resources more effectively and efficiently,but also about how to justify the need for additional funding.We recommend that decision makers avoid using our findingsas a detailed road map that provides precise directions abouthow to move forward; instead, we recommend that they useresults as a compass to help determine appropriate directionsfor the development of an overarching strategy to addressHouston's air pollution problem.25