>> The family says Williams
also developed a blood pressure
issues and bed sores.
>> So dangerous air pollution
affected millions of folks in
the Northeast U.S. last week.
Our health reporter Haley
Hernandez is with us here.
I mean, we didn’t have the
issues with the Canadian
wildfires, but we do have our
own ozone action alert from
time to time. And
>> And really, I mean,
actually, I asked Anthony last
week I was like, is this
something I need to be
reporting on? Is this coming
our way? He said no. We just
we have bad air quality, but
it wasn’t because of the Could
the Canadian fires are explore
air our area did experience
ozone. Pollution levels
considered unhealthy for
sensitive groups. But it’s just
because the air quality
happened to be bad. Not because
of those fires. So joining us
to discuss what people can do
to prevent ground level ozone
from harming their respiratory
system.
>> Doctor David Persse, chief
medical officer with the city
of Houston. Good Morning,
Doctor. First, good morning
million. So what exactly is
ground level ozone? What does
that mean?
>> zone is a colorless gas and
its quarterly lease and it
occurs naturally need to be
helpful or harmful. What
occurs. The highest levels are
am sure it actually creates
shield around the planet.
The protections from some of
those dangers on the by raising
this on provisions. Will we see
the lower level is where we
live? It can be It is a product
of the combustion showed cars
are mined refineries complex on
that. They produce the ozone
didn’t react to the sunlight
and creates problems for us
here at the local level, we
find it most of the higher
levels ever. You know, in the
afternoon during this reporting
about the weather a little bit
ago in the afternoon to those
sunny days in the summer that
when it gets to be the worst.
>> So it’s of the particles in
the air that make it harmful to
people’s health. Is that what
I’m hearing?
>> Yeah, it’s it’s the ozone
here in the lower levels of the
atmosphere we breathe. We live.
That’s where you know, you’re
going to read that again edge,
you know, highs and those hot
summer days in the afternoon
and there’s little air to blow
away the see the most and you
can really do impact,
particularly on things that
your respiratory It isn’t your
teens. And so in the large,
in the slaughter, ways to your
taste, the
long passages, it also affects
go to the lung function, make
it really difficult for people
to breathe. So get outside this
year. Better size in the
afternoon. You’re going to be
getting worse. Should wrap and
we’re show bres and its opera
problem for people rather like
exercising outdoors in the
afternoon where outdoor
workers.
>> So who are who are the
people who are most at risk,
a feeling these effects?
And what are some of the other
symptoms that they might be
feeling?
>> Yes, you know, we worry
really bracing anyone of any
age children we are at high
risk because they’re going to
drop out and playing in the
afternoon, especially in the
summer afternoons there as a
running around really need to
be ready in a lot of But adults
of any age or outside to
sometimes you’ve got folks like
that. Thank you. Signs in the
afternoon. Our you know,
because they get off of work in
saying they need to get a job
to get up working here for the
afternoon. So we want to run
before dinner. It’s a hot day
with low wind are going to get
it. And again, we also worry
even about babies because, you
know, their lungs are still
developing. So they’re going to
they’re outside. And the lesson
that afternoon, late afternoon,
hot days in these babies are
going to tell, you never know,
really getting your double
money to think that they’re
hungry are really good people
to gain an edge again watching.
And you know, when you’re
outside the afternoon.
>> So the solution would then
be to go inside or is what are
the other measures to protect
yourself when you start to feel
like coming on?
>> Yes, so basically what we
need is you start to get you
know, here in Houston. We just
talk about the heat. We advise
folks in the outdoor workers
sort of adjust their work
schedule right to start a
little bit earlier. Take a
longer a dream midday, maybe
work later in the evening.
Visit to heat along. We’ve see
people get heat stroke. So
those are just another reason
why people may want to the
attention to the weather and
what they’re doing outdoors
again, trying to avoid being
outdoors in those late
afternoon into this really hot
sunny days, especially when
there’s little when the boat
maybe you want to, you know,
change is going to be doing
things indoors about those
those times. And that, of
course, is a society. We can do
things to reduce the amount of
ozone. But that’s a much larger
discussion. But yeah, but you
know, for your viewers to pay
attention to whether the judge
what you’re going to be doing,
it maybe adjust your schedule a
little bit so that we’re not
doing this very thing may be
one of the walk in the
afternoon instead of going for
a job.
>> Yeah, that sounds good to
me, too. So doctor Persse, you
know, the next few days we’ve
got these 100 degree days
coming up this week. Does it
always go hand in hand with hot
weather like should we expect
the air quality to be more pour
on the days when it’s really
hot like that.
>> It’s not necessarily and in
there are multiple factors go
into, for example, that can be
really hot. But there’s a
decent breeze, though. We may
not have an emotional problem.
But yeah, for the most part you
didn’t use to pay that. It will
correlate know we would be used
apartment. We do put out those
on alerts. And so when they’re
reporting by before the local
media and so folks will pay
attention to that, too, you
know, to protect themselves to
be aware what’s going on in the
environment around them.
>> Yeah, always good
information. I feel like, you
know, we talk about eating
stifling hot. It’s because
we’re talking about not having
a good Brees. So definitely
another thing to pay attention
to is your breathing and
another reason to have a safe
shelter to get into it and take
a break from that from
that weather.
>> That’s right. You know, you
just don’t forget about your
neighbors. We talked about the
enormous are releasing, know,
consider the neighbor lives
down the street who doesn’t
have air conditioning will in
the end. You know, this is the
use is a wonderful city we’ve
seen, you know, all the time,
especially during We come
together, we look out for each
other. There’s another reason
to be that another person was
just really got reading
problems may want to, you know,
check on them and make sure
that they’re doing things
indoors or outdoors. But you
see, am I doing gardening in
the late afternoon, a really
hot day may want to offer them
a cup of tea and you know it
and let’s go inside and get
some air conditioning.