Wasatch Front air polluted

Communities along the Wasatch Front have been named among the nation's worst when it comes to short-term exposure to particle pollution.

The Salt Lake City-Clearfield- Ogden corridor was ranked the fifth-most polluted area over the short term based on particle pollution, while Logan came in sixth and Provo-Orem ninth.

The findings are part of the American Lung Association's recently released "State of the Air: 2006" report, which says more than 150 million Americans still live in counties where they are exposed to unhealthful levels of air pollution.

The report says the worst four for short-term particle exposure are the Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno and Pittsburgh areas.

In terms of actual risk to people, Salt Lake County was sixth worst, Cache County eighth and Utah County 13th.

Particle pollution is defined in the report as a combination of fine solid particles and aerosols that are suspended in the air we breathe. It can shorten life, the report says, citing medical problems such as worsened asthma and increased coughing and wheezing. Particles can trigger heart attacks and irregular heart beats, according to the association. And smaller particles can be inhaled directly into the lungs, where some will also enter the bloodstream. The damage is similar to cigarette smoking.

Short-term exposure also kills, the report says. Recent research links it to death from respiratory and heart causes, including strokes, increased numbers of heart attacks, increased hospitalizations and emergency room visits for patients with acute respiratory ailments, more severe asthma attacks in children and more.

While assailing air-quality problems, the report says cleaning up power plants makes a measurable difference. And it calls on the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up the diesel emissions caused by boats and trains.

At stake, it says, is public health.

The report, which looked at two common air pollutants — particle pollution, or "soot," and ozone, also called "smog" — says health risks are particularly high for people who have asthma, older adults, children and people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease or diabetes.

According to the report, 42.5 million Americans (about 15 percent of the country's population) live in 34 counties that have unhealthful levels of both ozone and particle pollution. They are primarily heavily populated urban centers.

In Utah, Salt Lake County received a failing grade for particle pollution with 11 orange days. Weber, Utah, Davis and Box Elder counties got a C, while Cache and San Juan counties got an A. Washington and Tooele counties were not graded because of incomplete monitoring data.

For "high ozone days," those receiving an F included Cache, Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties when graded on specific 24-hour periods. Box Elder got a D. But graded annually, only Salt Lake County failed. Data for Davis and Tooele, however, were incomplete.

The full report is online at www.lungusa.org.

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com