Group asking for help to clean up Utah's bad air

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Whit Johnson reporting According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the air quality in Northern Utah today is considered to be some of the worst in the country.

Several organizations are trying to do something about it, and they're asking for the public's help.

Dr. Courtney Henly, with the Utah Clean Air Alliance (UCAA) and Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, says, "The level of air pollution that we are breathing today is hazardous, sometimes even deadly, for the 1.7 million people living along the Wasatch Front."

The group represents parents, doctors, businesses and more than 30 organizations. Dr. Michelle Hofmann, with UCAA and Utah Moms for Clean Air, says, "Our goal today was to start to get people to talk the language."

Group asking for help to clean up Utah's bad air

The UCAA and Utah Moms for Clean Air are issuing what they call a "Red Alert Emergency Plan."

Off and on for nearly a week now, pollution has blanketed much of northern Utah. "The legislators are listening to us, but we're just a couple of people. One-point-seven million people speaking to our legislators will really get their attention, and they will focus on clean air," Henly says.

Members of the alliance are trying to educate the public on the dangers that coincide with pollution. They range from lung disease to sudden infant death and can affect the healthiest of people. Hofmann says, "Adults do suffer. We are seeing people literally drop dead from heart attacks and strokes."

The alliance is also addressing language, asking the public to begin calling haze for what it is: pollution, or smog.

They even made reference to a warning from Brigham Young to the Mormon settlers. "Brigham Young argued that the physical asset that they should treasure most was pure air," Hofmann says.

Their message is that Utahns have the power to make a difference, and it starts with the individual. Hofmann says, "Our children are relying on us to make this happen."

So what are some of the things you can do? You can limit your driving, conserve energy in your home and on days like today, stay inside.