The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has an article written by Jim Bradbury that YOU don't want to miss concerning the recent air quality study in Fort Worth.
The value of royalty income will prove fleeting if we discover all too late that the health of our young and old was diminished because we were unwilling to press this issue.
Credibility was key for this work. After the protocol was developed and Eastern Research Group selected to do the work, the city staff folded back into a behind-the-scenes process of developing the contract. The process was not open to the Air Quality Study Committee or the public.
Benzene, the contaminant that has drawn much of the current attention on air quality, was detected 94 percent of the time. It is the best marker of an emission problem.
Seven other volatile organic compounds were detected at rates higher than 90 percent. That these values were collected citywide underscores the gravity of the situation.
The report identified seven key pollutants for Fort Worth. Eastern Research's analysis appears to judge the presence of the pollutants only by whether they produce an "urgent health hazard." That leaves open a very important question about Fort Worth's overall near- and short-term air quality.
This may be too simplistic for air scientists, but if we find benzene 94 percent of the time, we have a problem.
