HOUSTON—The Environmental Protection Agency is in Houston to hear from Houstonians about a proposal to strengthen the air quality standard and advocates like Aaron Smith, was there to share his story.
The 14-year-old boy has been battling with severe asthma since he was 2-years-old. The problem is so severe, Smith has to check the quality of the air in Houston every day.
“First I check the ozone and check to see if there is high risk for people with asthma,” said Smith.
Smith loves playing basketball outside, but sometimes he’s stuck indoors.
Smith loves playing basketball outside, but sometimes he’s stuck indoors.
“Usually when the ozone levels are pretty bad, it’s hard to come outside and play,” said Smith.
So, on days with ozone alerts, he takes his medicine and stays indoors.
“We address the things that we can do with medication, with education and with teaching him a routine,” said his mother Rosa Smith.
The Smith’s are not the only Houstonians monitoring ozone levels every day.
Dozens of others showed up at an EPA public hearing to call for cleaner air in Houston.
The agency has proposed strengthening national standards for air quality. Right now the National Air Quality Standard is at 75 parts per billion. The proposal that’s in the hands of the EPA could take that to 60 or 70 parts per billion. It’s a difficult measurement to understand, so the EPA explained.
“This proposal would allow us to improve health for millions of Americans. We are talking about a wide range of ozone-related symptoms. All the way to aggravated asthma, up to early death,” said EPA spokesperson Alison Davis.
The EPA held hearings in Houston, Arlington, Virginia and in Sacramento, California. The agency will decide to keep the current standard or strengthen the standard in August 2010.
For teenagers like Aaron Smith, the decision could mean playing outside more often.
