how bad is utah air quality


The gas, which is emitted from the burning of fossil fuels from industrial facilities, is also considered a secondary particle in PM 2.5, the fine type of particulate matter. Nathan LaCross, Utah Department of Health assessment section manager and epidemiologist, said air pollution particulates are a problem because they are small enough to get very deep into the lungs. For Utahns, poor air quality is the greatest negative attribute of their quality of life and one of their strongest concerns. “I can tell when the air quality is getting worse just by how my throat and chest feel,” says Ben Wheeler, a Salt Lake resident and University of Utah student. In addition to the effect on local populations, particulate matter can also impact the environment. Awards Improving air quality is rising in priority because it impacts everything from individual health and well-being to the state’s overall economic growth.

The bad air quality is visually evident while driving into the Salt Lake Valley. Along with the smog that blankets the Salt Lake Valley, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says elevated pollution levels contribute to a variety of health problems.

The average car currently sold in Utah has a smog rating of six. Roughly 25% of the PM2.5 that we see during winter inversions is directly emitted from a source (e.g., from burning wood), but the majority of the PM2.5 is created in the atmosphere through chemical reactions that require a combination of gases. LaCross said one of the best things Utahns can do to avoid negative health effects from air pollution is to keep track of the air quality in their area and adjust their outside activity accordingly.

The drop of pollutants, he says, is mostly due to the federal clean air standards becoming stricter and “at the same time, technology developments are fueling cleaner ways for the industry to operate and for people to live their lives by minimizing their carbon footprint.”. The high national rankings by The American Lung …
“As a whole, we are not as bad as some resources may suggest.”. Overall, Utah averages an F grade for ozone and a D for particle pollution, according to the American Lung Association. Packham said while Utah’s bad air pollution days are severe, the number of those days in Utah are not nearly as high as other well-known urban areas. Proposed House bills included funding to replace Utah’s old, polluting diesel school busses, to change requirements for operators of gasoline cargo trucks to prevent release of petroleum vapors and to increase requirements on emissions inspections. Provo resident Kristina Taylor said she experienced these effects while raising her infant daughter Olivia. “I couldn’t even leave the house without being ill.”. Many Utahns say the polluted air affects their health. In order to reduce the output of sulfur dioxide, factories need to change the fuel they burn and treat the gases before they are released into the atmosphere.

Utah Year-round Air Quality Outreach Campaign Grant – Grant Solicitation (07/03/19)–The Utah Division of Air Quality (UDAQ) is seeking an independent, non-profit organization to conduct a year-round air quality outreach campaign in Utah for the State’s FY2020 (July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020). People who are otherwise healthy might experience a variety of symptoms, including eye, nose or throat irritation and chest problems, LaCross said. Vehicles also contribute to the mixture of particulate matter during an inversion.

According to airnow.gov, Utah cities recently topped the charts multiple consecutive days for worst air quality in the U.S., including Salt Lake City at the top spot on Jan. 31, Provo at No. Brian Moench said in his speech at Utah’s Valley’s First Clean Air Rally on Feb. 4 that young people are most affected by air pollution. “I was just overall sick always in Utah, and the winters were the worst when the inversion was at its highest,” Loera said. These cars, when combined with cleaner fuels, will reduce automobile emissions by 80%, which is enough to significantly decrease total Utah emissions, even with population growth. Point sources are industry-related sources of pollution like power and industrial plants, and they make up 8% of winter emissions. They also find that poor air quality constrains their freedom to enjoy Utah’s beautiful outdoors and affects the state economy by discouraging businesses and employees from locating in Utah. Localized Air Quality Index and forecast for Salt Lake City, UT. A car with a smog rating of ten has no tailpipe emissions (e.g., an electric car). These particles can become trapped in people’s lungs and cause or exacerbate negative health conditions. Inversion normally occurs when a cold layer of air becomes trapped under a warm layer of air. “The air pollution levels in Utah, particularly in the urban areas, are very much related to weather conditions,” Packham said. McKenna Park is an aspiring journalist studying at Brigham Young University.

Homes and businesses (more specifically, space heating, water heating, wood burning, etc.) Homes and businesses, however, are not currently on the same trajectory as mobile and point sources.

They introduced several bills that will take small steps to help improve Utah’s poor air quality. For Utahns, poor air quality is the greatest negative attribute of their quality of life and one of their strongest concerns.

“On red and orange days, my throat is oftentimes sore, and my chest feels heavy, like I just chain-smoked a pack of cigarettes.”. Utah’s air has gotten cleaner and will continue to improve in the short term. Since the 1990s, carbon monoxide has dropped by 77 percent and nitrogen dioxides has been reduced by 56 percent.

According to UCAIR, the amount of pollution doubles each day of an inversion. Still, Utah’s air quality is slowly getting better, according to the EPA’s annual report. Salt Lake City also placed 18th for the worst ozone pollution. “We have seen actual improvements in air quality, even though we have been growing,” says Bryce Bird, director of the Utah Division of Air Quality. Particle pollution is also responsible for the smog that covers the valley on inverted days.

“Some of my favorite ways to help keep our air clean is to carpool, ride my bike to and from school, and keep my thermostat turned down a couple degrees.”. In the latest State of the Air report from the American Lung Association, the Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem metropolitan area ranked eighth for the most short-term particle pollution, while Logan ranked 11th. Anyone exposed to these pollutants is negatively affected, according to Denni Cawley, executive director of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment. New regulations will also result in the gradual phase-in of cleaner cars. “It affects everyone, even the healthy who don’t show any symptoms,” Cawley said. Utah has experienced especially poor air quality in comparison to the rest of the country this year. The poor air quality in Utah has been a hot topic for many residents and legislators. Look outside during a “red air” day and it’s easy to see why many Utah residents have started to ask whether it’s worth living in a place where they can’t go outside without coughing or wheezing. According to UCAIR, some of the best and easiest ways to reduce the carbon footprint include replacing old water heaters, reduce the number of car “cold starts” and checking the smog rating when buying a new car. For example, PM pollution is typically highest in the winter, which is when ozone pollution is usually lowest. From 1970-2016, emissions from the most common pollutants have dropped by 73 percent, according to the EPA.
Poor winter air quality is a result of tiny dust and soot particles known as particulate matter (PM2.5). While California cities typically top the charts for average air pollution, the multiple California cities Loera lived in did not make State of the Air’s three lists of the top 25 most polluted cities, while the Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem area placed seventh for the Short Term Particle Pollution list. The air gets especially bad during Utah winters when inversion is severe. “I think that the public transport system is awful, and it needs to be vastly improved before people with cars opt to use it,” Rodziewicz said.

But for some periods in the summer and particularly in the winter, regional weather patterns and topography, combined with emissions from various sources, cause poor air conditions along the Wasatch Front, in Cache Valley, and even in the Uintah Basin. Particulate matter and sulfur dioxide are two types of air pollutants, each causing a number of health and environmental issues. Pollutants are trapped in the cold layer near the ground because the warm layer of air acts like a lid. The Utah State Legislature is considering a bill that will encourage Utah drivers to consider buying cars with higher smog ratings. Utahns are willing to make significant changes to achieve cleaner air. Salt Lake residents like Kaden Plewe find ways around their everyday lives to reduce their carbon footprints. In Utah, air quality is typically reported using the actual pollutant concentrations and reflects levels of ozone or particulate matter. For most of the year, Utah’s air is clean and meets federal health standards. Pollution-causing emissions come from four main sources: mobile sources, area sources, non-road mobile sources, and point sources. In 2002, Salt Lake had 65 days marked “unhealthy.” In 2016, that number went down to 28 days. “I wake up every morning with a sore, dry throat,” Rodziewicz said. Tanner Mangum takes reins of BYU football, 16th annual LDS Film Festival returns to Scera Theater, #StandUnited: Utah gubernatorial opponents promote unity in political ads, Judging Utah’s judges: Judicial confirmations on the ballot. “Bad air quality is a public health hazard.”. BYU School of Communications The following blog takes a look at the many pollutants that affect Utah’s air and is a re-post from May 2018. Utahns view this air pollution as a threat to their health and their family’s health. Despite having generally good health overall, Orem resident Daniel Rodziewicz said Utah’s bad air gives him respiratory health problems. Smog ratings (a number on a one-through-ten scale) are given to all vehicles based on the amount of pollutants they emit from their tailpipes. But as the state continues to grow, even cleaner cars and the SIP will not be enough to keep the air clean over a long period of time. Former Eagle Mountain resident Jaclyne Loera said she saw changes in her own health and the health of others because of air pollution when she moved from Southern California to Utah. Bad air quality effects everyone, but has a significant impact on sensitive groups, including children, the elderly and people with pre-existing health problems. Utahns, however, do not have to wait for federal regulations to switch to cleaner cars. Other proposals include amendments to emissions testing and clean fuel school buses. Another source of air pollution can be traced to sulfur dioxide. For Utahns, poor air quality is the greatest negative attribute of their quality of life and one of their strongest concerns. Particulate matter and sulfur dioxide are two types of air pollutants, each causing a number of health and environmental issues.

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