Lung Association slams Utah areas for bad air

A new report assessing the nation's air quality ranked Salt Lake City No. 6 in the country for its bad short-term particle pollution, below No. 1 Pittsburgh and No. 4 Los Angeles but worse than Detroit in the ninth spot.

"State of Air 2009" was released Wednesday by the American Lung Association and is driven by Environmental Protection Agency data collected in 2006 through 2008.

No Utah cities made the association's list for bad air based on year-round annual averages or ozone levels, but out of 1,000 counties included in the analysis, seven Utah counties received F's for their high ozone days. Those counties are Box Elder, Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah, Washington and Weber.

In the arena for short-term PM2.5, or fine particulate pollution levels, Utah's Logan came in at No. 8 in the country, while Provo ranked 22, worse than San Diego at 23.

While Utah's air quality officials are aware reductions of PM2.5 levels need to be made, the state struggles to counter geographical challenges such as high mountains and low valleys that combine to create ideal inversion conditions in the winter and ozone traps in the heat of summer.

They also say the report unfairly lumps the Wasatch Front with areas that endure persistent air pollution problems in contrast to the often cyclical nature of Utah's poor air quality.

"We are aware of the fact that Utah has days when wintertime pollution is high. The American Lung Association's report, however, does not take into account that we have fewer bad air days than other states that experience air pollution more frequently," said Cheryl Heyring, director of the Division of Air Quality. "We continue to focus on practical solutions to reduce air pollution such as encouraging people to drive smarter and are committed to addressing the problem all year long."

Air quality officials are in the midst of a three-year process to develop a plan to get PM2.5 levels under control to meet new federal guidelines. Several areas of Utah have been designed as "nonattainment zones" by the EPA, meaning those violate standards. Those areas, however, are under contention by the state because they include Tooele County and some other mostly rural areas that because of their proximity to the Wasatch Front.

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