Extreme Heat, Texas Black Expo and Fluoride: Tuesday’s Show (June 9, 2015)

The consequences of Greater Houston's population growth have been well documented – from its effect on traffic, to housing, to urban development. But it also could have another effect – it could be making this an even hotter place to live in coming decades, according to ongoing research using Houston as a predictor of what’s called “extreme heat.”

On this edition of Houston Matters, News 88.7's energy and environment reporter Dave Fehling explains.

Also this hour: The annual Texas Black Expo, the state's largest African-American empowerment festival, runs Thursday through Sunday (June 11-14) at the George R. Brown Convention Center. The four-day event features speakers from the business world, business advice for African-American entrepreneurs, a trade show, and a concert. Houston businessman Jerome Love founded the event in 2004 because, he says, a big part of strengthening African-American communities in Texas means strengthening African-American businesses. We welcome your questions and comments for Jerome Love.

Then: In April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the first decrease in half a century of the amount of fluoride it recommends in our drinking water. HHS says the recommendation is intended to prevent staining of tooth enamel that can happen with too much exposure to fluoride, which in the right amount can prevent tooth decay. HHS cited the easy availability of products like mouthwashes and toothpaste that contain fluoride as a reason less fluoride can be in the water.

Meanwhile, in recent weeks here in Greater Houston, The Woodlands held public hearings to discuss whether or not it should start adding fluoride to its water supply. Until now, it had enough occurring naturally in its water supply, but with an upcoming addition of new ground water to its supply – its fluoride concentration will be diluted.

We learn more about fluoride, why it’s added to drinking water, and what impact it can have on your teeth, from Dr. Ryan Quock, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics Department at UTHealth.

Plus: News 88.7’s Amy Bishop reports on the Houston real estate developer who sparked a transformation in Houston’s First Ward from a rundown warehouse district to a bustling arts center.

And: We continue our summer reading series today as we talk with Robert Zaretsky, Professor in the Honors College at the University of Houston, and the author of Boswell's Enlightenment. It’s a book about James Boswell, best known as the biographer of English writer Samuel Johnson. Boswell, a young Scot, went on what Zaretsky calls a "thrilling intellectual adventure" to seek out the views of "the greatest thinkers of the age," including Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and David Hume.