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Did you know it's Air Quality Awareness Week?
We talk a lot about AQ in the winter time in Utah, especially when we're under the influence of high pressure and stuck with nasty inversions. However, all year, it's still an issue. Anytime you limit the mixing of the air and the pollutants in it, we breathe some of it in.
Let's break it down. You can get AQ forecasts from the Utah Dept. of Environmental Quality. It's useful to know what's up with the air if you have a sensitive member of the family or if you like to be in the know.
Ozone, we hear about it, what is it? Here's the saying from the EPA "Ozone: Good Up High - Bad Nearby". This is handy to remember, there are two types of Ozone. We've all heard of the "Ozone Layer". This is a layer in the statosphere about 6 to 30 miles above the earth's surface. Ozone here helps to block UV rays, so that is definitely useful. Ozone at the surface of the earth, where we live and breathe in air, is made from the reaction if air pollutants at the ground level. This can also be transported to towns downwind of the pollutant source.
Breathing in the bad Ozone can cause congestion and throat irriation among other problems. It can also harm vegetation. If you want to do something on a personal level to reduce pollutants, you can try carpooling or walking to work and even just conserving energy at home can make a difference.
It's not just Ozone in the air, there's particle polution or sometimes what is referred to as particulate matter. This is composed of various things like acids or soil and dust particules, organic chemicals and even pollen or mold fragments. This too can cause a lot of problems for people with breathing issues.
So, who are these sensitive individuals anyway? People who have heart disease, lung diseases or asthma. Young children and eldlery can also have some sensitivity. However, when pollution levels are high, it is recommended that even healthy people exercise indoors to limit their exposure to harmful pollutants.
Answered by KSL Meteorologist Dina Freedman
