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SALT LAKE CITY — Those thinking of going outside Wednesday, be advised: it's a very bad air day throughout much of Utah.
The Utah Division of Air Quality has issued unhealthy air alerts, or "red" alerts for five counties: Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Weber and Cache.
We're breathing a combination of things along the Wasatch Front, including atmosphere particulates, smog and exhaust. Experts say the light reflecting off the particles gives the air a grayish-yellow look.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — As Utah's air quality worsens, state regulators are working a set of plans to limit everyday emissions, from banning the sale of aerosol deodorants and hair spray to prohibiting wood burning in fireplaces more often during the year.
Regulators say dozens of new rules will touch everyday life by August for two million of Utah's residents along the Wasatch Front. Utah could lose federal highway funds if it doesn't start reducing pollution along the urban corridor by December 2014.
The new regulations will force California-style changes in consumer products, with spray pumps replacing aerosols or aerosols switching to environmentally-friendly propellants. Likewise, regulators are tightening limits on volatile organic compounds in paints, coatings and solvents - local factories and car-repair shops will have to buy reformulated products or install special emissions controls.
Regulators have already adopted an air-pollution plan for largely rural Cache County that calls for vehicle emissions tests over the opposition of local officials.
"There's nobody that likes what we're doing," said David McNeill of the Utah Division of Air Quality. "We're going after everybody."
Northern Utah's urbanized valleys have the nation's worst air at times, an accident of weather and geography. In winter, cold stagnant air often settles in the bowl-shaped mountain basins, trapping tailpipe and other emissions that have no way of escaping.
The filth in the air can last for days at a time. Air pollution was fast approaching federal limits Wednesday along the Wasatch Front.
Wood burning was prohibited for a third day. Authorities urged motorists to limit driving and called on "sensitive" people to stay indoors.
Exposure to the brew of pollutants — soot, dust and gaseous chemicals — can constrict blood vessels, send pressure soaring and make hearts flutter, say Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, a group raising the alarm over the region's pollution.
The doctors say young children and fetuses in the womb are especially at risk of acquiring asthma or developmental disorders.
The inversion is expected to last for the next three to four days, possibly even into next week.
"We live in kind of a bowl," said Bo Call with the Division of Air Quality. "We've got a high-pressure system moving in and it's going to trap the cold air in the valley. When it does that the pollution tends to build up and our levels will continue to rise and rise and get higher and higher."
The pollution levels along with Wasatch Front change constantly. The standard for a no-burn day or "red" alert is a pollution level above 35 micrograms per cubic meter. At last check, Salt Lake and Davis counties had just exceeded that and Cache was just under it.
Cache Valley often gets ranked among the worst in the nation when it comes to air quality. But their type of pollution is somewhat unique.
"Cows and cars, I call it," said Roger Coulombe, a professor of toxicology at Utah State University. "Agricultural activity, producing lots of urea, which gets converted into Ammonia gas."
That combination actually penetrates the lungs faster than most, Coulombe said. Regardless of how a person feels — asthma or not — those pollutants in the air could be taking days out of an individual's life. Coulombe believes multiple studies done worldwide support those same conclusions.
Experts say the combination of extremely cold weather and snow is trapping the pollution along the Wasatch Front. What we need is a big storm, not just a snow storm, to push it out.
"It can snow right through the inversion," said Call. "What we need is wind and storm and a low pressure to come through and let all the air change out."
The air quality is obviously not good to breathe, but most won't feel the affects of it unless the pollution level reaches up into the 70s. However, those with sensitive lungs or asthma should stay indoors if possible.
"Reduce any heavy, strenuous activity," said Josh Greer of the Bear River Health Department. "Obviously do things that are gonna protect your health."
Coulombe said even a small difference in particulate matter levels can increase the health risk. But the good news is that the reverse is also true.
"The research shows that we'll see an immediate positive effect on human health, even with small reductions in (pollution)."
