Murky inversion ugly to look at but not likely to cause health problems yet

SALT LAKE CITY — There is actually a silver lining on that depressing, opaque cloud that seems to have taken up residence outside.

"Pollution is always in the air; it is just a matter of how much is there," said Steven Packham, a toxicologist with the Utah Division of Air Quality. Fortunately for much of the state, he said it isn't as bad as it could be.

Only in Tooele did the particulate matter reach above harmful rates of more than 35 micrograms per cubic meter on Monday, and levels are expected to be much the same throughout Utah's mountain valley regions until the middle of the week. Levels of particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller — the standard used to measure air quality — in the Salt Lake and Davis county regions reached about 11.

It is time for inversions in Utah. In addition to the propensity for desert wind storms that add particulate matter to the air and the lack of moisture on the ground — which helps to increase humidity levels that dissipate the dust — the valley is a vacuum for bad air.

"There's nothing insidious in the air," Packham said Monday. "We just need to protect ourselves from the short-term, acute responses our lungs have to it."

The body is going to say when something is bothering it, he said.

Symptoms of a reaction to poor air quality include irritation to the eyes, nose and throat and could go as far as inciting a respiratory attack in asthma sufferers. In that case, people should stay indoors or decrease exertion levels, according to Rebecca Jorgensen, asthma program specialist with the Utah Department of Health.

Poor air quality doesn't cause asthma, but can definitely aggravate symptoms in people who already have it. Cold, dry air, as well as situations of stress and anxiety, also can impact asthma conditions.

"We have a lot going on during the winter that could affect people's health," Jorgensen said.

Fortunately, ozone gas, another harmful pollutant found in the air, is practically nonexistent during winter months. The trick to surviving Utah's murky skies is to be aware of current conditions, reported hourly by the state's Division of Air Quality at www.airquality.utah.gov. An air pollution hotline is updated twice daily and is available to residents living in Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, Utah and Cache counties.

Much of the state will return to a "green" air quality condition on Tuesday, with the exception of Cache County, where a "yellow" status will continue.

And if the air quality is bothersome, people are advised to stay indoors or adjust asthma medications and drive less, as vehicle emissions add to the pollutants in the air.

More information on what can be done to reduce air pollution can be found online, at www.cleanair.utah.gov.

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