The Deadly Texas Wildfires and Other Threats in the Air We Breathe

The Deadly Texas Wildfires and Other Threats in the Air We Breathe

This week has seen some strong reminders from the government about the potential threat of terrorism to our lives and well being. Then there are the threats of economic collapse that seem to hang over our heads. Those threats are on top of all the other threats we face to our lives and our health every day. Here in Texas, we've been living under the threat of heat, drought and fire-related dangers almost continuously for several months now.

As I write this, Texas is ablaze with some of the worst wildfires in its history. Deadly Texas wildfires surround much of Houston. These fires show no intention of going out any time soon. A pall of smoke obscures the Houston skyline, and people with respiratory complaints are feeling the effects of the wildfires' smoke, even at a distance.

And only recently, a section of Houston highway was shut down while workers cleaned up a cargo spill from a wrecked truck. The cargo consisted of a couple hundred barrels of hydrofluoric acid or hydrochloric acid. News reports varied on this detail. Either substance is highly toxic and corrosive, and hydrofluoric acid can damage the lungs, the eyes and the skin, or even kill you at relatively small quantities. Personally, I find hydrofluoric acid marginally more scary than hydrochloric acid. But I wouldn't want to take my chances with either one.

And just yesterday, I read about a woman who died in a McDonald's restroom from a toxic stench that authorities were unable to identify. Several other people were injured by the smell, including some rescue workers. I think we've all had the experience of walking into a restroom containing a seemingly toxic stench. But I never worried about such an odor actually being toxic until yesterday. My sympathies go out to the people injured by the odor, and particularly to the family and friends of the woman who so unfortunately died from the toxic stench.

So, while my home State of Texas is burning across large swaths from deadly Texas wildfires, chemical spill hazards are endangering my daily commute, and it looks like visits to the restroom in McDonalds could be deadly (I think, deep down, many people always suspected as much), the government reminds me to worry about other deadly threats as well. But even with all of these threats to worry over, I'm going to take some time to remember all of those whose lives were so abruptly cut off by a heinous and deadly act of terrorism 10 years ago. I'm going to remember these folks who won't be with us this weekend, and hold their surviving family and friends in my thoughts. In fact, I'll take some time to remember all who have lost their lives in untimely accidents. I'll think of the lady who just lost her life at McDonald's, and about those who have lost their lives in our deadly Texas wildfires. Because these unfortunate souls no longer have weekends ahead of them to worry over.