10 Comment

• Martha Clark November 20, 2015 at 8:45 am

  Enjoying reading all the articles you highlight. But please know that any link to the Galveston Daily News doesnt work because they insist you purchase an overpriced online subscription… Small town thinking. Don’t get me wrong — i own two homes in Galveston and love the city.
• joel November 20, 2015 at 10:00 am

  I think the more interesting thing about that Rice/UH health study is that there appears to be a low correlation of higher rates of heart attack, stroke and asthma to air particulates. You would assume that family incomes and not air pollution would be the largest determining factor in these ailments and the charts/data appear to back that up. The problem with these kinds of studies is it still doesn’t give any kind of rate of exposure to air particulates.
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  And the higher rate of strokes in Atascocita isn’t surprising, there’s a very large elderly population out there. Wouldn’t the higher rates of heart disease and asthma in Tomball be more related to the lower incomes and manufacturing jobs? More time outside in general for the asthma?
• commonsense November 20, 2015 at 10:49 am

  So, looking through the pollution/health problem maps, you can see the usual suspects of east side, deadly nickel, ship channel etc. You could have knocked me over with a feather when the evidence points to the obvious conclusion that living in the ghetto = bad.
• Old School November 20, 2015 at 4:14 pm

  The missing link in the air quality study is workplace exposure. Exposure at home/school is very relevant for kids who tend to spend a lot of time outside. But adults working on the ship channel, in construction or manufacturing will breath in most of the bad stuff from 9-5. So, the correlation with income/education may also reflect workplace exposure.
• ZAW November 20, 2015 at 6:08 pm

  It’s very heavy handed to assume that bad air quality = ghetto, commonsense. The air quality in Westwood is actually better than a lot of other places in Houston.
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  That said, I question how valuable the study actually is, given how much time people stay indoors. Indoor air quality is often far worse than outdoor air quality. The name for it is ‘sick building syndrome’. It would be very interesting to do a study of the City indicating the average age of building HVAC systems and superimpose it on the Rice air quality study.
• j November 21, 2015 at 11:01 am

  Zaw, I agree but from my experience the push to seal up new construction tightly for energy efficiency has had a side effect of making very stale air inside. Even with the fresh air exchanges the ventilation sucks (pardon the pun) and because you have to pass a blower door test you can’t do anything more to “move some air”
• commonsense November 22, 2015 at 11:12 am

  It’s so cold today, I actually saw a Democrat with his hand in his OWN pocket.
• j November 22, 2015 at 1:14 pm

  First laugh of the day. Thanks Common!
• MrEction November 23, 2015 at 8:39 am

  Ok that was a pretty good joke. I mean not as much as the Republican presidential lineup, but made me chuckle nonetheless.
• commonsense November 23, 2015 at 9:43 am

  I think as Swamplot regulars, we are pretty much obligated to vote for the real estate mogul. Besides, how can you pass up the opportunity of his plane being renamed to HairForce One, and all the slutty girls getting Trump Stamps.