Health Impact of Poor Air Quality

Healthy People 2010 has a focus on environmental health, emphasizing in air quality. In the United States, air pollution is estimated to be associated with 50,000 premature deaths and an estimated $40 billion to $50 billion in health-related costs annually. Two indicators of air quality are ozone (outdoor) and environmental tobacco smoke (indoor). It is really interesting to me that these statistics are preventable through proper education and policy change. All it takes is enough people to realize that they can make a difference in their community.

The people most affected by poor air quality are older adults, young children and infants. The air quality may differ depending on geographic location as well as chemical makeup of the air. Ozone, Carbon Monoxide, Particle pollution, and Sulfur Dioxide are the main pollutants of concern that have a harmful impact on health. Many of the adverse health affects due to poor air quality are mostly complications with already existing health problems such as Asthma, Cardio Vascular Disease and lung and heart disease. To learn more about how each of these different pollutants effect health, click here.

Spring Cleaning, sort of...

Utah air quality benefits from the arrival of spring. As the colder temperatures from winter subside, the tendency for an inversion to settle in over Salt Lake and Utah counties decrease. This is the benefit of spring, however, the downside to spring is the increased pollen counts in the air. While this isn't necessarily polluting the air and directly polluting the environment, I would still consider it a pollutant because it can be damaging to people with allergies who breathe it in. To learn about the daily pollen count for where you live see Pollen. I don't mean to give pollen a bad name. There is nothing we can do to reduce the pollen counts where we live. Pollen is necessary for the reproduction of plants and flowers which are an important part of our world. To learn more about pollen click here.

Dangers of Idling

A few days ago I went to the drive up window at the bank. While I waited for the teller to process my deposit I saw a sticker on their window which suggested that customers in their cars who would be waiting longer than 10 seconds, should turn their cars off rather than let it idle. Not only will they save on gas, they will be reducing emissions and taking an active role in preserving the air quality of Utah.
Vehicle exhaust is one of the leading sources of air pollution in Utah. Idling vehicles release higher concentrated exhaust than when in motion. Because passengers of idling vehicles are not moving, they are at higher exposure to the exhaust as it is able to enter the cabin. The nice thing about this problem is that it is 100% preventable. For more information, visit Clean Air Utah and Environment Defense Fund.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What causes an inversion?
A. Mountains surrounding a valley, cold temperatures, and no wind or storms for several days cause pollution to build up and stay trapped underneath the warmer air above.
Q. What is particulate matter?
A. Particulate matter (PM), also known as particle pollution, is a complex mixture of extremely small dust and soot particles. These particles are so small that they can become embedded in human lung tissue, causing respiratory diseases and cardiovascular problems
Q. Is Utah's air quality bad all year round?
A. No, usually just when an inversion sets in.
Q. Why is Utah's air so bad in the winter?
A. The main cause is due to the inversion
Q. Where does Utah rank among U.S. states for poor air quality?
A. Salt Lake City and Provo are clumped together with cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento and Seattle as the cities affected with poor air quality in the West.
Q. What can be done to improve Utah's air quality?
A. Anything that will decrease the pollution created. Carpooling, biking, turning the car off rather than idle for long periods of time, maintain home furnaces, keep vehicles well maintained
Q. What do the different red, yellow, and green burn days mean?
A. They refer to wood burning conditions. Red prohibits wood burning. Yellow calls for a reduction in wood and coal burning. Green means wood burning is allowed.
Q. What is smog?
A. A mixture of pollutants, principally ground-level ozone, produced by chemical reactions in the air involving smog-forming chemicals. A major portion of smog-formers comes from burning petroleum-based fuels such as gasoline.
Q. What adverse health effects does the poor air quality have on people?
A. Poor air quality can cause or worsen existing asthma, lung and respiratory functions. It can cause greater risk to Sudden infant Death Syndrome, limits lung growth capacity, and can cause systemic inflammatory response in the arterial system which affects all organs and accelerates atherosclerosis.
Q. Are there any regulations for controlling Utah's air quality?
A. The EPA issues National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). While there are standards set, each city or region does not necessarily meet those standards all the time. As has been mentioned previously, there are day-to-day regulation on burn days.

For more information refer to Clean Air Utah, and Air Quality
For definitions of air pollution terms see Glossary of Air Pollution