September 2, 2011-by John Blair. This is the text of a statement issued by Valley Watch last night regarding playing high school sports on air pollution alert days.
With the USEPA and locals making an air pollution alert for both ozone and fine particles, I would like to ask that someone attempt to get football games rescheduled if levels remain high at the time the games are to begin.
Fine particles are known to cause premature death to people that might not even know they have a problem and ozone is responsible for increase asthma an do the respiratory attacks, especially in people who are exerting themselves which they are required to do during high pressure high school football games.
Valley Watch understands that rescheduling games would be a tremendous inconvenience to all involved but a few years ago, several players collapsed during games that were played in high heat and in polluted air. The chance of even a single death occurring during a sports contest when it could have been avoided is a totally unnecessary risk that can be avoided if air quality is considered “unhealthy” for certain populations that unfortunately include high school athletes and performing marching band members.
If the prognosticators of air quality have determined that conditions are right for an alert, our kids’ safety requires that we exercise caution in the conduct of school athletic events. Practicing and especially playing a strenuous sport in fouled air is a sure fired recipe for disaster.