Take the Soot Out of Houston's Air

• Fine particulate matter, sometimes called PM₂.₅ or soot, is one of the nation’s most urgent and widespread health threats. In Texas, however, soot has received less attention than ground-level ozone, or smog, the state’s most visible problem with air pollution. That is partly because of insufficient monitoring for particulate matter. 
• A  new analysis  by the Harvard School of Public Health and Environmental Defense Fund reveals that exposure to particle pollution in the nine county metropolitan Houston area in 2015 contributed to more than 5,000 premature deaths and nearly $50 billion in economic damages.
• Now is the time to tell the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the existing air quality standards for soot are not protecting the public's health in Houston or the rest of the Nation. The deadline for submitting comments to EPA is June 29, 2020 and your input is critically important, as we explain below.

• These invisible airborne particles, released from power plants, petroleum refineries, chemical plants, marine vessels, trucks and construction equipment, can lodge deep in the lungs and are small enough to enter the bloodstream. They cause premature death from heart attacks, strokes, respiratory illnesses and lung cancer.
• Exposure to these particles is the largest environmental risk for early death in the U.S.
• Soot is also dangerous for young people – EPA scientists believe that exposure can affect growth and development of children including during pregnancy. According to EPA scientist, research shows that PM₂.₅ exposure decreases lung growth, increases asthma and increasing evidence indicates that it is associated with autism spectrum disorder among children.

• Using satellite and other data from the  Harvard analysis , EDF identified a large toxic plume of particulate matter (indicated by the red area in the map below) in west Houston that was previously unseen. 
• It went undetected for years because Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has not monitored particulate matter in west Houston (current monitors are represented by the blue dots).  
• These maps show how the toxic plume expanded from 2013 to 2015, the most recent available data.
• Scientists believe the soot in west Houston comes from industrial and marine sources along the Houston Ship Channel, as well as diesel vehicles and construction equipment. More analysis is needed to confirm these sources. 
• TCEQ agrees there may be a problem in west Houston and has proposed deploying a new PM₂.₅ monitor at the City of Houston's Westhollow monitoring station.

• The map below shows the location of industrial and commercial sources of soot in Harris County.
• According to EPA, dust from construction sites and paved roads is the largest source of PM2.5 in Harris County (42 percent).
• The largest sources of man-made soot in Harris County are petroleum refining, chemical manufacturing and electric power generation (23 percent), while commercial cooking (15 percent), and highway vehicles, construction equipment and marine vessels are also major sources (14 percent).
• While more research is needed, elevated soot in west Houston may also be coming from nitrogen oxide pollution, which is primarily from highway vehicles, construction equipment, marine vessels (64 percent), and petroleum refining, chemical manufacturing and electric power generation (28 percent).

• In 2015, exposure to particle pollution in the nine county metropolitan Houston area contributed to more than 5,000 premature deaths and nearly $50 billion in economic damages.
• The first map shows the crude death rate from elevated soot (deaths per 100,000) in Houston by census tract. On average, the crude death rate in Houston from elevated levels of soot is 89 deaths per 100,000 people. Many of these census tracts are showing a crude death rate greater than 200 deaths per 100,000 people.

• We have also presented the number of deaths from elevated PM₂.₅ for each Super Neighborhood. In Houston, residents have organized themselves into civic organizations called  Super Neighborhoods.  Residents come together to work with city officials to address issues of common concern. The Super Neighborhoods colored dark red had over 40 deaths in 2015 from elevated soot. The white areas in the map do not have City of Houston-recognized Super Neighborhoods.

• According to EPA's scientific review of 47 urban areas in the U.S., there are as many as 52,100 premature deaths, including 16,800 heart attacks and 3,950 lung cancers, each year at the current standard.
• The EPA scientists also found that reducing the current standard from 12ug/m3 to 9ug/m3, would prevent 12,500 early deaths per year in these urban areas.
• Nearly all of Houston lives with levels of particle pollution above 10ug/m3 — and many areas are above the current standard of 12. Neighborhoods with the highest levels lack monitors. There are ample tools available to reduce this pollution and meet more protective health standards.

• Instead of following the recommendations of the EPA scientists, Administrator Andrew Wheeler has proposed not to strengthen the current standard and, instead, maintain the outdated level of 12ug/m3.

• HOWEVER, there is still time to persuade Administrator Wheeler to listen to his scientists and adopt a more protective standard, consistent with EPA's legal duty to protect our health.

Here is what you can do:

1. Send your comments to EPA  through EDF's website  by midnight June 29, 2020.
2. Email your comments directly to EPA at: a-and-r-docket@epa.gov. Include the Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2015–0072 in the subject line of the message.
3. Talk with your community leaders about submitting comments demanding cleaner air for Houston.