POLLUTION

with tailpipe emissions from cars to create more ozone than is generated and their new proposal before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission would raise base rates by 8.2%. People can comment on the proposal by calling 303-869-3490, online at puc.colorado.gov, and at public hearings scheduled for May 31 and July 11.

Xcel is also asking the Public when it’s cooler. And more and larger forest res are expected to mean more days of smoky skies.

Ozone linked to neurodegeneration

Ozone has been linked to neurodegeneration, decline in cerebral

Utilities Commission to bump up its authorized pro ts to just over 10%.

Last year Xcel posted more than $8.3 billion in gross pro ts. Public Service, the regulated utility with a mission to provide energy to consumers at the lowest cost possible, is a subsidiary of Xcel, a forpro t company. Levis contended it plasticity, the death of neurons, and learning and memory impairment. Ozone levels are extremely high in Los Angeles and the mountain valleys of the West, including the Front Range of Colorado, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. Air pollution also causes damage from chronic in ammation. As air pollution particles enter the brain, they are mistaken for germs and attacked by microglia, a component of the brain’s immune system, and they stay activated.

“Your body doesn’t like to be exposed to air pollution and it produces an in ammatory response,” said Patrick Ryan, a researcher at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, in an email. “Your brain doesn’t like it either. ere’s more than 10 years of toxicological science and epidemiologic studies that show air pollution causes neuroin ammation.”

Much of the current research focuses on how pollution causes mental health problems.

Damage to the brain is especially pernicious because it is the master control panel for the body, and pollution damage can cause a range of neuropsychiatric disorders. A primary focus of research these days is how pollution-caused damage a ects areas of the brain that regulate emotions — such as the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus. e amygdala, for example, governs the processing of fearful experiences, and its impairment can cause anxiety and depression. In one recent review, 95% of studies looking at both physical and functional changes to areas of the brain that regulate emotion showed an impact from air pollution.

A very large study published in February in JAMA Psychiatry, by researchers from the universities of Oxford and Peking and Imperial College London, tracked the incidence of anxiety and is where the con ict comes in.

“Because the goal of for-pro t companies is to maximize shareholder value,” Levis explained. “But there are times when even for-pro t companies have to bite the bullet and absorb some of the costs.” e Public News Service story via e Associated Press’ Storyshare, of which Colorado Community Media participates. depression in nearly 400,000 adults in the United Kingdom over a median length of 11 years and found that longterm exposure even to low levels of a combination of air pollutants — particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and nitric oxide — increased the occurrence of depression and anxiety.

Xcel has argued rate increases are necessary to transition to clean energy. But Levis countered the company is passing costs along to consumers and refuses to put any skin in the game.

He noted when telephone utilities upgraded their copper networks to ber optics, they took on part of the costs. e Public Utilities Commission will conduct public and evidentiary hearings before deciding whether Xcel should be granted a fth rate increase in as many years. A decision is expected in September.

Another recent study, by Erika Manczak at the University of Denver, found adolescents exposed to ozone predicted “for steeper increases in depressive symptoms across adolescent development.”

But the epidemiological research has shortcomings because of confounding factors that are di cult to account for. Some people may be genetically predisposed to susceptibility and others not. Some may experience chronic stress or be very young or very old, which can increase their susceptibility. People who reside near a lot of green space, which reduces anxiety, may be less susceptible.

“Folks living in areas where there is greater exposure to pollutants tend to be areas under-resourced in many ways and grappling with a lot of systemic problems. ere are bigger reports of stress and depression and anxiety,” said Manczak. “Given that those areas have been marginalized for a lot of reasons, it’s a little hard to say this is due to air pollution exposure.” e best way to tell for sure would be to conduct clinical trials, but that comes with ethical problems. “We can’t randomly expose kids to air pollution,” Ryan said.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more at KFF.org.

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Guided By Humanity Fashion Show and Fundraiser at 6 p.m. on ursday, May 11

International and Local Boutiques at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 13

Of note is the Sustainable show, an issue which Hodapp said has become increasingly important in the fashion world in recent years.

“How sustainable is it to buy a $20 shirt every other month? How does that impact our world?’ she said. “We’re seeing the industry become more purposeful in its use of materials and more designers taking something old and nding ways to make it new again.”

While many people may not think of Denver as a major fashion hub, its reputation has been growing and one of the joys of Denver Fashion Week is the way it celebrates local creatives and matches them with talents from all over the country and world. at’s what makes the Fashion Industry

Workshop and International and Local Boutiques important — they’re a bridge to a wider community.

“I hope people who attend this year are inspired and have their eyes opened to the creative industries,” Hodapp said. “It’d be great if more people understand and appreciate what goes into the clothes they wear. Because the inspiration can come from anywhere and people take that for granted. Designers put so much time and care into every stich.”

For full details and tickets, visit www.denverfashionweek.com.

Get lost in Benchmark’s ‘Great Wilderness’ Samuel D. Hunter’s “A Great Wilderness” is the kind of story that shines on stages — it brings audiences in close as the characters tackle extremely complex and challenging questions about religion, identity and personal conviction.

Directed by Marc Stith, the show runs at Benchmark eatre, 1560 Teller St. in Lakewood, through Saturday, May 13. Performances are at 8 p.m. ursday through Saturday and

Turn To The Colorado Sun For News Across The State

The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself. In this way, The Sun contributes to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado.

The Sun, launched in 2018, is committed to fact-based, in-depth and non-partisan journalism. It covers everything from politics and culture to the outdoor industry and

2 p.m. on Sunday. According to provided information, the show is about Walt, the leader of a Christian retreat that tries to “cure” gay teens. But just as he’s about to retire, a nal client causes him to question the work he’s been doing.

Get tickets for this moving show at https://www.benchmarktheatre. com/tickets-a-great-wilderness.

Be BBQ ready this summer with Backyard Pitmasters e “Barbecue University” events are three-hour classes that teach “the art of smoking great meat in a non-competitive and fun environment at local breweries, distilleries, and other community-driven venues.” You can attend one at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 6 at Mad Rabbit Distillery, 10860 N. Dover St., No. 2000, in Westminster, or at 1 p.m. on

We’re entering prime BBQ season, but many people (myself included) don’t know much about the delicious, delicious art of barbecuing. For the uninitiated, Backyard Pitmasters Colorado is here to provide all you need to become a legendary chef.

Saturday, May 13 at Mother Tucker Brewery, 2360 E. 120th Ave. in ornton.

Find all the details at https://colorado.brisketu.com/.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Lil Wayne at Fillmore Auditorium

I don’t really have to tell you who Lil Wayne is, do I? He’s the Young Money millionaire with criteria that can’t be compared to your career because it just isn’t fair. His run as the best rapper alive in the late 2000’s was absolutely incredible and he’s still capable of e ortless bars whenever he feels like it.

Rap doesn’t have a lot of elder statesmen gures still out on the road, so the fact that Weezy is coming to the Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St. in Denver, at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 7, means you should de nitely take notice. Get tickets at www.livenation.com.