The Houston-Pasadena region also ranked No. 8 out of 208 metropolitan areas for most polluted cities by year-round particle pollution, according to the report. Particle pollution refers to particles in air pollution that can be smaller than 1/30th the diameter of human hair and are inhaled.
For short-term particle pollution, the Houston region ranked No. 125 out of 225 metropolitan areas, according to the report.
A closer lookOn a county level, Brazoria, Galveston, Harris and Montgomery counties all received an “F” rating for high ozone days, according to the report.
The ALA also looked at each county’s population and populations at risk, such as children with pediatric asthma, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and those who have lung cancer.
What else?According to the ALA, air pollution’s effects can include respiratory effects such as:
- Wheezing and coughing
- Shortness of breath
- Asthma attacks
- Worsening COPD
- Lung cancer
Air pollution’s effects can also include other conditions, according to the ALA, such as:
- Premature death
- Susceptibility to infections
- Heart attacks and strokes
- Impaired cognitive functioning
- Metabolic disorders
- Preterm births and low birth weight
Factors that affect one’s risk of air pollution include the level of exposure, susceptibility based on other conditions one may have, access to health care and psychosocial stress, or non-physical stressors such as poverty that can amplify the effects of air pollution, according to the ALA.
