Summer air quality may be worse than it appears, DEQ says

Summer air quality may be worse than it appears, DEQ says

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SALT LAKE CITY — Officials with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality are reminding people that air quality along the Wasatch Front may be worse than it appears in the summer, especially on the hotter days.

In the winter, residents can see the PM 2.5 particulates in the air, especially when they’re trapped by an inversion. In the summer, residents have ozone to worry about on hotter days.

“Ozone is the pollution that we’re particularly concerned about in the summertime," said Department of Environmental Quality Communications Director Donna Spangler. "It’s caused by tailpipes mixed with sunlight and heat and also industrial emissions.”

Spangler said it’s hard to say which type of pollution is worse. They can both be harmful to people with respiratory problems, as well as the very young and the old.

Air quality forecast
The air quality forecast is available on the KSL Weather Page or the Division of Air Quality's website.

However, since ozone can’t be seen, people can be under the impression that the air quality is good when it really isn’t.

“In the summertime, people are outside more, so you may think that their exposure is greater since they’re outside," Spangler said.

She said there are symptoms people may feel if the ozone is affecting them.

“If you walk outside and it’s hot and you feel stifled, you have difficult time breathing and your eyes start watering, you can feel it," she said.

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Paul Nelson

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