Houston, Texas is seeing dangerous and unprecedented levels of smog. But Texas' chief toxicologist, Dr. Michael Honeycutt, says ozone levels aren't a problem because people spend 90% of their time inside.
“Ozone is an outdoor air pollutant... Since most people spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors, we are rarely exposed to significant levels of ozone.” And for vulnerable populations like the elderly, he thinks they're safe from pollution because people who are “near death” spend even more time inside.
The overwhelming majority of scientists are urging the EPA to reduce ozone levels. Dr. Honeycutt instead sides with polluters and is fighting ozone restrictions that could protect our health.
But Dr. Honeycutt isn't just some misguided character with bad ideas -- he heads the toxicology division of the state agency tasked with protecting Texans from pollution.
Telling us not to worry because we stay inside most of the time is not going to fix deadly air pollution problems. And it ignores the fact that many people have to or want to go outside. We should be able to step outside without worrying that we might get sick because the air is so polluted.
Dr. Honeycutt is clearly the wrong person to be "protecting" Texans from poor air quality. Sign this petition to demand Texas replace him with a new head of toxicology who will actually work to stop air pollution!
