17 Million Texans Frequently Breathe Unhealthy Air: What Does That Mean In A Pandemic?

“Ozone pollution is typically driven by transportation sources, industrial sources, and we know that with heat comes more opportunity for ozone pollution to form in the atmosphere.”

By Dominic Anthony WalshApril 23, 2020 9:30 amCoronavirus, Energy & Environment, Health & Science, Partner Organizations, Texas Newsroom, Texas Public Radio

Ruben De Rijcke / Wikimedia Commons

The people who have the most power over air quality outside of the home typically work at the state capital or in D.C. Will Barrett said that 50 years after the Federal Clean Air Act, policymakers have recently become regressive.

From Texas Public Radio:

About 17 million Texans live in areas that consistently have unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. That figure comes from the American Lung Association’s annual “state of the air” study, which was published Tuesday.

“We look at the air quality index and figure out basically the number of days that get to the unhealthy levels of air pollution for either ozone or particle pollution,” said Will Barrett, the clean air advocacy director with the American Lung Association.

People with pre-existing respiratory conditions are more likely to die if they contract COVID-19, and people who live in areas with poor air quality are more likely to develop respiratory conditions.

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