A report on the region’s less-than-stellar air quality is making a splash today in the news. Jonathon Ward in PMCH was the UTMB researcher who collaborated on the findings; scientists from Rice, Baylor, TSU and UH looked at benzene, 1-3 butadiene, formaldehyde and diesel particulate matter. They call for replacing the current toothless guidelines with enforceable regulatory standards to begin to lower the concentrations of this hazardous stuff floating in our air. Over a lifetime of exposure, the report suggests that current concentrations of these airborne substances cumulatively can cause hundreds of people to get seriously sick. So maybe rolling up my windows when I drive down Hwy 146 isn’t enough. Let’s hope this gets some traction. Here’s the Chronicle story and the executive summary of the report.