Air pollution forecast now includes Washington County

Fine particulate matter can damage health of very old and very young

By Judy Fahys
The Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated: 11/02/2008 01:21:26 AM MST

The state Division of Air Quality began Saturday posting its three-day air pollution forecast for Salt Lake, Weber, Davis, Utah and Cache counties. This year, a forecast also has been added for Washington County.

    Cheryl Heying, director of the air-quality division, called the advisories "crucial to inform residents when the air is unhealthy and help them make choices to prevent the pollution from getting worse."

    The main pollutant Utahns worry about in winter is "fine particulate matter," microscopic soot mainly from industry, power plants, and cars and trucks.

    When upper layers of warm air trap cooler air in the valley below, PM 2.5 - an especially dangerous form of particulate matter - builds up. People who live and work in affected areas are forced to breathe it.

    The very old, the very young and those with heart and lung disease are most likely to suffer the harmful health affects, such as asthma, shortness of breath and even heart attacks.

    Cherise Udell, a founding member of Utah Moms for Clean Air, called the alerts, plus the additional current conditions and trend information the DAQ posts online, an important part of her routine. She checks the page to help decide whether it would be better to limit her children's outdoor activities.

    "Too many people are not aware of this information," she said, suggesting that air-quality trends ought to be familiar to the public as knowing what the daily temperature is expected to be.

   "The more aware people are," she adds, "the more they are likely to demand clean air."

    Pollution last winter reached unhealthy levels 13 times; the year before, it totaled 30 times.

    Besides the health warnings, the pollution alerts also advise residents in the six counties when to curtail behaviors that create air pollution. On the Wasatch Front and in Cache County, it's illegal to use anything but approved stoves for burning wood and coal.

    "Obviously, some inversions are difficult to avoid," said Bob Dalley, manager of the state's air monitoring center. "It generally takes a stiff wind or storm to clear the pollution, but if we all work together and reduce air pollution emissions, we may have fewer red days this winter."

    fahys@sltrib.com
   
   
    * UTAH'S three-day air-quality forecasts are online at: www.airquality.utah.gov.
    * MORE detailed information is also available on current conditions and trends on the page.
    * THE ALERTS rely on traffic-light symbols of green, yellow and red to advise what actions are in order to protect health and air quality.