How wildfire smoke, air pollutants can impact health in SE Texas

As we head into the summer months, air quality and ozone become bigger concerns. Smartphones and local weather forecasts make it easy to stay on top of air quality to help in personal safety and decision-making.

Dr. Tracey Holloway is a professor of energy analysis and policy at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She studies air quality and the chemicals in the air that can impact visibility or make people sick. Dr. Holloway also leads a team for NASA that makes satellite data more relevant for decision-making on air quality and public health.

The federal government measures air quality using the air quality index, or AQI. Green means good, yellow means so-so, orange is unhealthy for sensitive groups, and red is unhealthy. Purple or maroon indicates even more hazardous conditions.

Ozone, wildfire smoke, factory pollution, and Saharan dust typically impact air quality in southeast Texas. Dr. Holloway says different chemicals affect the body in different ways. "Respiratory disease is one of the biggest impacts, like asthma. Most of the chemicals we're talking about have impacts on our lung health, which is not surprising because we're breathing them into our lungs," she said.

In more severe circumstances, air pollution is also associated with shorter life expectancies, worsening heart disease, adverse birth outcomes, and other negative impacts.

"Cleaner air is healthier air across the board," Dr. Holloway added.

People are advised to stay indoors on days when air quality is poor. Air filtration systems can also work to clean the air indoors.

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