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• What is the HEATS Project?
• Target Areas
• Study Phases
• Why Conduct This Study and What Does It Seek To Accomplish?
• Contributors for HEATS Project
• Major Points of Contact for the HEATS Project
• TCEQ Points of Contact for the HEATS Project

What is the HEATS Project?
HEATS is one of the largest air toxics data studies ever undertaken in Houston, and will help us better understand how air toxics that people breathe compare to air toxics measured at stationary air pollution monitors.

The HEATS project is a 2-year collaborative study involving local universities, state, federal, and local government agencies, and research organizations. HEATS will assess the relationship between personal exposures and ambient concentrations of select hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) by monitoring residential indoor, outdoor, and personal air concentrations. HEATS will also examine population level health and risk perception through the administration of questionnaires.

Target Areas
HEATS will study residents and air toxics in a two-mile radius of the Manchester neighborhood, near the Houston Ship Channel. Additionally, the study will measure and compare levels in a similar neighborhood that is not near the Ship Channel.

Study Phases

Phase 1 developed and tested all study tools and protocols (approximately 6 months);

Phase 2 was designed to pilot-test all tools and protocols developed in Phase 1 (approximately 1 month);

Phase 3 is designed to conduct the full study in approximately 100 households in each study area (approximately 12 months); and

Phase 4 is designed to complete all data analyses and prepare the Draft Final Report (4 to 6 months).

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Why Conduct This Study and What Does It Seek To Accomplish?
Traditional air pollution monitors are located in one spot, like on the roof of an elementary school, but people do not breathe right at that spot and likely have different exposures to air toxics as they go about their daily activities. Collecting personal exposure information will allow the TCEQ and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to better understand if Houston residents' daily exposure to air toxics differs from what ambient monitoring data would suggest, whether this exposure presents a potential health risk, and if so, how to help effectively reduce that risk. 

These data will help TCEQ and EPA develop more effective strategies to reduce risks to Houston residents by better linking air toxics emissions from different sources (like automobiles, industrial facilities, or consumer products) to actual exposures, as well as guiding future studies on the potential links between environmental exposures to air toxics and health effects.

Contributors to the HEATS Project

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Major Points of Contact for the HEATS Project

TCEQ Points of Contact for the HEATS Project
 

Participants	Project Title	Affiliation
Mike Aplin	Project Manager	TCEQ
Valerie Meyers	Project Support	TCEQ

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