HOUSTON, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists are recommending immediate action to reduce levels of four toxic air pollutants found in Houston because a high health risk.
The Rice University study proposes a new set of air quality standards based on the underlying toxicology of the four pollutants investigated.
Rice scientists, with colleagues at the Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Southern University, the University of Houston Law Center and The University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston, focused on benzene, 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde and diesel particulate matter.
"Based on the results of our study, we strongly recommend immediate action to lower the ambient concentrations of the four hazardous air pollutants we researched," said principal investigator Matt Fraser, an associate professor in civil and environmental engineering at Rice. "The level of air toxics concentration that we're seeing in the Houston area poses a dangerously high risk of cancer and other health problems."
The researchers note the risk levels are calculated for individual compounds, so the cumulative risks from several pollutants present simultaneously are even greater.
The full report, titled "The Control of Air Toxics: Toxicology Motivation and Houston Implications," is available online at ceve.rice.edu/.
