Utah: Gasping For Air

The winter inversions are possibly one of Utahs most well-known weather features.
Almost all whove lived in Salt Lake City have seen it arrive with the sleet and snow. A fresh
blanket of powder provides the
perfect conditions as cold air, along
with a litany of pollutants, is
trapped in the basin of the valley by
the warm air above it. Fog
exacerbates the problem and pretty
soon, the SLC skyline resembles
Shanghai on its worst days (that is,
if you can even see the skyline).
While Utah is not the only place in
the United States with an air quality
problem, the Environmental
Protection Agency has publicly
stated many times that it is one of
the most at risk, even putting Logan
and Provo at the top of the list (in
2013) of cities with the most unhealthy air. In short, Utahs air quality is a problem that needs
addressing, and the longer we wait, the more grim our prospects will look.
When we take a look at the individual particles that make up the smog, the picture looks a
little bleaker. Concentration levels of various chemicals have shifted in Utah throughout the last
36 years, but one type of pollutant, PM 2.5 (fine particulates in the air that are 2.5 micrograms or
smaller), has been on the rise in Utah since the late 1990s. According to Salt Lake Citys
government website, concentrations of PM 2.5 build as temperature inversions persist. Utah's
unique geography and weather, when combined with emissions, creates unusual chemical and
photochemical conditions that lead to the formation of PM 2.5. These particular pollutants pose
such a great danger because they lodge themselves deep within the lungs, passing into the
cardiovascular system, where they wreak havoc over time. Children, those with weakened
immune systems, and the elderly are most at risk, but even active adults must face the reality of
PM 2.5 when the particles so easily bypass the bodys defense systems. Because of Utahs
unique weather and geography, it might be easy to dismiss these findings as just the way it is,
but we cannot continue to stand idly by as the quality of our air is threatened. The consequences
from such a mentality are dire.
Diving a little deeper into the chemical makeup of our air really doesnt provide much
respite from the veritable storm that has been brewing for years. The Utah Division of Air
Quality discovered, as recently as last week, that levels of various cancer-causing chemicals (or
air toxics) are well above what the EPA says is acceptable. Chemicals including formaldehyde,
acetaldehyde, and even airborne lead have been found in Lindon, Bountiful, and West Valley
City. Its worth mentioning that Alan Matheson, the executive director of the Utah Department of
Environmental Quality, has said that these levels are not all that troubling. Matheson points out
that the thresholds used by the EPA are based on statistical probabilities cancer-related
thresholds, for example, are based on the concentration at which exposure to a substance is
believed to cause 1 in 1 million individuals to develop cancer. A separate report released last
December by the EPA, based on data from 2011, found that hazardous air pollutants will cause

about 29 of every 1 million Utah residents to develop cancer in their lifetime. Given this
information, however, its still important that we dont give up on seeking solutions for cleaner
air. Ideally, the oxygen (and mostly nitrogen) we breathe should not be giving us cancer at all.
Its also important to note that the levels of formaldehyde detected were not only above cancercausing, but also high enough to yield non-cancerous side
effects. Scientists conducting the research were not able to
successfully determine what exactly has caused these rises
in air toxic concentration. Regardless of whether or not a
small portion of the population may get cancer resulting
from the air, these results are disconcerting.
One might wonder where all this pollution is
coming from. Pollution is divided up into three source
types in Utah: point, mobile, and area. In a very basic
sense, mobile is transportation, area is homes and business,
and point is large-scale mines and refineries. According to
the University of Utah, 57% of the pollution comes from
mobile, 11% from point, and 32% from area. Wood
burning is a huge contributor to the problem (wood-heated
homes contribute 3,000 times more pollution than their
natural gas counterparts), as is the large (and growing)
number of cars on the road today. Even with all the strides weve made in emissions and
mileage efficiency, we still have a problem.
All of these facts dont exactly paint a pretty picture. When such a large
percentage of the pollution comes from just transportation, its time to take a step back
and look at the root of the problem. Everyone must come together in their own way to
clean up the air: carpooling with coworkers, planning trips out so that mileage is
minimized, and reducing energy waste in the home are various solutions that, if everyone
followed, could seriously improve air quality for all. Beyond that, our legislators must
step up to the plate and push for cleaner energy solutions (including solar and wind
farms, mandated gas mileage minimums, etc.). Inactivity is the enemy of progress; the
sooner that is realized, the sooner Utah can start breathing clean air again.

Works Cited
"Winter Inversions: What Are They and What We Can All Do To Help." Welcome to Salt
Lake City. Salt Lake City Government. Web. 12 July 2016.

Penrod, Emma. "Levels of Some 'Air Toxics' along Wasatch Front Are above What EPA
Says Is Cancer-causing." The Salt Lake Tribune. 12 July 2016. Web. 13
July 2016.
Stewart, Heather. A Breath of Fresh Air. Utah Business Magazine. March 2012.
Volume 26. Issue 3. pages 38-41. Article. 12 July 2016
Kimball, Bennion. "Utah Cities atop EPA's Worst-air-quality List." The Salt Lake
Tribune. 21 Jan 2013. Web. 12 July 2016.
The image of Salt Lake Citys inversion was taken from flickr.com and was uploaded by
the user infiniteworld and was taken on January 6, 2011:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/infiniteworld/5330960811