Air Quality: $300 Billion Industry Ready To Be Tapped By BRIAN PEARSON, Staff Writer   |   Apr 08, 2010

A potentially lucrative facet of Tyler's economic future is up in the air, drifting around as particles 10,000 times smaller than can be seen with the naked eye but a possible cause of asthma, allergies and perhaps even autism.

Poor indoor air quality not only represents a rapidly growing health threat but a $300 billion industry that Tyler is well positioned to tap into, John Vasselli, Texas Allergy, Indoor Environment and Energy Institute executive director, said at a Wednesday luncheon.

The institute, known as TxAIRE, is part of The University of Texas at Tyler and is in the early stages of a years-long indoor air-quality study whose goal is to pinpoint the problems and create solutions.

TxAIRE and UT Tyler, working with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, whose specialties include respiratory illnesses, and the area's two major air-system manufacturers, Trane and Carrier, put the community in a strong position in a fledgling industry, Vasselli said. His comments came during the Tyler Economic Development Council's annual luncheon and economic report.

"We have this … combination of research, education, health and manufacturing," he said, describing the wealth of assets an "industry cluster." "Tyler really has a unique combination of things … This could be a self-fulfilled prophecy."

The "knowledge-based economy," in the form of UT Tyler, the health science center and Tyler Junior College, are in line to educate the future employees of this industry, he added.

"First of all, you need smart people," Vasselli said. "You need new ideas."

Indoor air quality is a new frontier for both science and governmental regulations, Vasselli said. Part of TxAIRE's work entails analyzing potential indoor pollutants, such as plastics commonly found around a home, and various air systems and home energy efficiency.

"There are no standards or regulations today for indoor health quality," he said. "We really don't put any emphasis on the quality of that air we breathe."

TxAIRE recently completed an asthma study of 3,400 homes, he said. Now, the institute plans to build two homes that maximize energy efficiency and indoor air quality.

One goal is to turn back the rising problem of asthma, which has been linked to various respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and other health problems, including diabetes.

Vasselli noted that studies estimate that illnesses because of poor indoor air quality in the United States have resulted in annual health-care costs of up to $16 billion for respiratory diseases and $5 billion for allergies and asthma.

Also at Wednesday's lunch, Tom Mullins, Tyler Economic Development Council president and CEO, gave an economic report for 2009 and an outlook for this year. The TEDC last year celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Mullins noted that from 1989 to last year, the TEDC was involved in 137 projects that entailed 16,269 jobs.

Last year, the council worked with 17 total projects, with 444 jobs in the balance.

Those projects included a $40 million upgrade at Delek Refining, a $10.7 million equipment project at Vernon E. Faulconer Inc. and a $710,000 project at Industrial Lubricant.

"In 2009 we were impacted by the national economic downturn," Mullins said, pointing to unemployment for the year rising to 7.6 percent compared with only 5 percent the previous year.
He went on to note a nursing facility for veterans and an armed forces reserve training center -- projects worth a total of $48 million -- as bright spots in the construction industry this year.

"These projects, along with two promising manufacturing prospects we are currently working with could result in the creation of 638 primary jobs and $175 million of new investment," Mullins said.

"We feel 2010 will be a better year for our economy. We are seeing positive signs nationally and in Texas that things are turning around."