- A dust storm in Salt Lake Valley raised air quality concerns on Wednesday.
- Dr. Kevin Perry highlighted PM10 particle risks from the Great Salt Lake's exposed lakebed.
- Utah officials plan to monitor dust emissions; increasing lake water levels is crucial.
SALT LAKE CITY — A dramatic dust storm that swept through the Salt Lake Valley on Wednesday carried potentially harmful particles from exposed areas of the Great Salt Lake lakebed into nearby communities, raising concerns about air quality and public health.
A thick, gray cloud moved across the valley, reducing visibility and depositing dust throughout the region. Researchers said the material blowing off the shrinking lakebed contains a mix of minerals and metals, including contaminants that could pose health risks.
Dr. Kevin Perry, professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah, said these dust events are relatively common, occurring about three to eight times each year.
"I would say that the dust event that we had yesterday is dangerous," he said.
He explained the primary concern during these events is the PM10 concentration, which is the concentration of particles that are smaller than 10 micrometers.
According to Perry, roughly half of those particles are trapped in the nose and throat, while the remainder can reach the lungs.
During Wednesday's storm, he said PM10 concentrations reached levels about four times higher than what is considered healthy.
"It doesn't matter what the dust is made out of," Perry said. "If those PM10 concentrations are high enough, it can cause immediate respiratory problems for people."
The exposed lakebed contains a variety of contaminants. Perry said arsenic is one of 13 substances identified as potential concerns in sediment around the Great Salt Lake.
"I'm actually more concerned about the acute response to the high concentrations of dust in the air, because that has an immediate effect," Perry said. "It can send people to the emergency room. It can lead to heart attacks. It can lead to stroke. It can lead to respiratory distress, and it can lead to premature mortality. People can die from that.
State air-quality officials are working to better understand the makeup and frequency of these dust events. The Utah Division of Air Quality is installing new monitoring equipment to track dust emissions and analyze their potential impacts.
Perry said the dust monitors will help answer key questions about how often dust storms occur, how severe they are and whether they present long-term health risks to Utah families.
"We'll be able to answer the questions that everybody wants to know: How frequent are these dust events, how severe are they, and do they pose a health challenge for myself and my family?" Perry said.
Perry said the most effective long-term solution is increasing water levels in the Great Salt Lake, which would reduce the amount of exposed lakebed available to generate dust. Other engineered solutions exist, he said, but they could cost billions of dollars to implement.
In the meantime, he said he is eager to see the new dust-monitoring sites become operational and begin providing more detailed information about the storms affecting communities along the Wasatch Front.
