TX State Toxicologist Argues Little To No Benefit From Cutting Ozone Pollution - You Maverick, You!

[hatrack]

At the state agency responsible for protecting Texans from pollution, a cadre of scientists is now marshaling its arguments to fight tougher federal standards on ozone levels — even as the overwhelming majority of the scientific community heads in the other direction.

Led by the state's chief toxicologist, the group has spent months fleshing out its position that ozone levels in cities across Texas, and the United States, aren't harmful to human health now. They join Republicans in Texas, and nationwide, who are vowing to fight any attempt by the Obama administration to lower acceptable limits any further. "I haven't seen the data that says lowering ozone will produce a health benefit. In fact, I've seen data that shows it might have a negative health benefit." Michael Honeycutt, the agency's chief toxicologist, said in an interview.

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Winter's cold and flu seasons, pollens in the spring and fall, and ozone in the summer all fuel swings in asthma cases, he said. Lowering ozone levels will certainly help part of the problem. "Asthmatic kids and [lung disease] patients can’t go out and play or exercise in the summer months because ozone will inflame their asthma," Haley said. Cohan, Haley and Jennifer Vanos, an assistant professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas Tech University, also take issue with another of Honeycutt's assertions — that high ozone levels outside can't do much harm because most people spend more than 90 percent of their time inside.

"By ignoring that and ignoring ozone and saying it’s okay, what we’re going to do is resulting in people spending even more time indoors, which we don’t want either," said Vanos, who studies the effects of air pollution on human health.

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http://www.texastribune.org/2014/10/21/battle-over-science-ozone-pollution/

[DetlefK]

1. And air outside has nothing to do with air inside.