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SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Department of Environmental Quality has issued red alerts for Salt Lake, Davis, Cache and Weber counties Friday as an inversion traps pollutants in the air.
People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children are encouraged to keep their time outside at a minimum.
Findings from the Utah Department of Health and National Weather Service show people with asthma are 42 percent more likely to go to the emergency room during the fifth-seventh days of a continuous inversion compared to days with no inversion.
"I think it's wise to use caution," said Dr. Shane Christensen. "Even healthy people when it's in the red zones like it is now."
People with asthma are 42% more likely to go to an emergency department during the 5th-7th days of a continuous inversion compared to days with no inversion. -Utah Department of Health
On red air days, the schools in the Salt Lake School District have the option to keep the kids indoors for recess.
"Being a red air day, we keep all the kids inside so they don't have to go and breath that air," said Washington Elementary Principal Rebecca Pittam. "Especially the kids with asthma, those kids with other health issues."
Not only are Utahns advised to stay indoors during red airs days, but they are encouraged to drive less to cut down on pollution and, if you can, don't light any fires in your fireplace.
An inversion and poor air quality could last for the next two weeks.
Inversions occur during winter months -- typically between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day -- when normal conditions such as cool air above and warm air below are inverted. Inversions trap a dense layer of cold air under a layer of warm air acting much like a lid that traps pollutants within the cold air near the valley floor.
The Utah Department of Health Asthma Program recommends that, during inversion season, those with asthma should:
- Check PM2.5 levels, especially during inversions.
- Take extra precautions, especially during inversions lasting longer than 5 days, including:
- Avoiding or limiting exposure to all asthma triggers during the inversions;
- Washing hands regularly and avoiding people with upper respiratory infections; and
- Talking to their doctor about taking steps to control asthma, and consider stepping up use of controller medications.
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Story written with contributions from Jasen Lee and Amanda Butterfield.
