Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- All the dust in the air Tuesday may not be as bad for you as a winter inversion, but the Division of Air Quality says it's enough to cause problems for people with respiratory issues.
Environmental scientist Neal Olson said, "It is very dramatic. You go from under 100 to better than 700 micrograms per cubic meter in a couple of hours' time."
Related:
Wildfire and high winds force freeway closures
Thick, black smoke from a wildfire near Saltair has forced the closure of eastbound and westbound I-80 at mile marker 99, S.R. 201 and S.R. 202.Aside from the smoke blowing in from a grass fire near Saltair, much of Tuesday's dirty air came from disturbed soil.
Olson said the dust comes from areas where the ground has been disturbed, such as the gravel pits in North Salt Lake and the beaches of the Great Salt Lake.
"We've had wind gusts out by the airport of 39 miles an hour; and out in West Jordan 49 miles an hour," he said.
The fire, the loose soil and the wind all translated into a thick blanket of dust that swallowed much of the Salt Lake Valley.
It may have been ugly, but surprisingly toxicologists say Utahns are used to a lot worse.
Steve Packham, a toxicologist with the Utah Division of Air Quality, said, "Anything can be dangerous, but this is far less dangerous than wintertime pollution."
Unlike in the winter, these pollution particulates are not as fine, making them easier for our bodies to block naturally.
"A lot of these particles will be taken out by your mucus systems in your nose and throat, and not necessarily getting down into your lungs like the smaller particles we see in the wintertime," Olson said.
The National Weather Service has posted a wind advisory through 9 p.m. Tuesday.
The Utah Division of Air Quality issued a Yellow Air Quality Action condition as well for Salt Lake, Davis, Utah and Weber Counties because of blowing dust.
Olson said winds whip enough dust to create an air quality advisory only three times a year.
------
Story compiled with contributions from Marc Giauque and John Hollenhorst.
