Health effects
Much of the data about air quality in our area focuses on particulate matter (PM). That doesn't diminish issues like increased carbon emissions, VOCs and ozone, which contribute to climate change and cause other adverse effects on the environment. We are focusing on PM because the Midlothian cement industry already releases quite a bit of PM, already close to the maximum allowable limit.
PM is also a topic of rapidly growing research. Every month, more scientific studies are being released showing health risks associated with PM, even at levels below current EPA standards.
Particulate matter (PM)
What is it?
This is basically the "dust" in the air.
The smaller it is (i.e., PM 2.5), the more dangerous it is because it can easily enter the bloodstream from your lungs and travel anywhere in your body.
Documented health effects
Mental health problems (decreased IQ, dementia, suicide, autism, behavior problems)
Heart attacks/cardiovascular disease
Asthma, COPD and other breathing difficulties
Diabetes
Cancer
Pregnancy loss, low birth weight, NICU admission, birth defects
Early death
Threshold concerns
Recent data shows there is no truly safe threshold for PM. The higher the exposure, the higher the risk of all of the above, even when levels are within EPA standards.
FROM THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
"Our multicountry time-series analysis provides evidence on positive associations between short-term exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 and daily all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality. This study indicated independent associations of PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations with daily mortality after adjustment for gaseous pollutants. Further, concentration-response curves for the effects of PM on mortality showed a consistent increase, with flattening of the slopes at higher concentrations, and the associations were still detectable at concentrations below the current air-quality guidelines and regulatory limits"
FROM THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (JAMA)
A cohort study of more than 4.5 million US Veterans showed that "99.0% of the burden of death due to nonaccidental causes and 99.0% of the burden of death due to non-communicable diseases was associated with PM2.5 levels below standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency." This amounted to 195,868 deaths due to non-accidental causes and 186,597 deaths due to non-communicable diseases.
FROM PUBLIC HEALTH WATCH
Based on 2016 satellite data from NASA on PM 2.5 pollution, the following adverse health effects were caused by PM 2.5 in Texas in 2016 alone.
8,405 deaths
24,575 new cases of Alzheimer's
7,823 new cases of asthma
2,209 strokes
“The closer you are to an emissions source, the more affected you are by it,” researcher Nikos Zirogiannis says. “But you are getting the impacts of those emissions even if you live 20 miles away from a [concrete] batch plant, because those PM releases affect air quality within the entire county and sometimes in nearby counties.”
Details on recent PM studies
PM Research Summary 7-19 1.5 copy.docxSummary of Midlothian area air quality: Health consultation 2016
"Certain air pollutants may have caused harmful effects in both the past and present."
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