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The true cost of Utah’s dirty air will shock you

Winter is typically bad for Utah’s air quality.

According to http://airnow.gov, January 2013 left the Salt Lake City region with the most polluted air in the nation. Utah had 22 red air days during the winter months of 2013, compared to 5 the year before. That means the air was unhealthy (as measured by the EPA) for the general population to breathe. The story about our air has made national headlines, from the New York Times to The Wall Street Journal.

Even with an orange alert (101-150) the air starts to affect sensitive groups such as the elderly, infants, and those with respiratory problems. The air is often terrible for our health and the health of our families, and you don’t have to be in those groups to be affected.

Air pollution shortens the life of everyone along the Wasatch Front by two years. And it can take a month just to recover from one bad air day. Though Utah’s smoking rate is one of the lowest in the country, every red day is akin to smoking a half a pack of cigarettes. The health effects caused by Utah’s dirty air are highlighted in a new infographic by Avalaunch Media, an online marketing firm specializing in infographic design.

For parents of young children and kids at school, red air days mean staying inside or risking the health consequences. It’s an ironic position for a state that is generally younger and healthier than average, and for one that draws people to the state to experience the outdoors.

Dirty air threatens the incredible recreation and tourism that Utah is known for. With five national parks, a robust skiing industry and everything from red rock in Southern Utah to forests and desert, there’s a lot to do outside here. According to the US Travel Association, tourism supports over 72,000 jobs, brings in $5.5 billion, and provides $1 billion in tax revenue. The Outdoor Retailer Show alone brings $40 million.

Air quality affects how people perceive the state. “We’re considering a move to the Utah Valley area, but now rethinking that plan after learning about the inversions and air quality issues. As I understand, the inversions occur for a total of around 30 days out of the year,” said Mike Costantini, who lives in Las Vegas.

Groups such as Utah Moms for Clean Air regularly challenge Kennecott, Chevron and others who they believe need to take more responsibility for the problem. Kennecott says they’re working to improve air quality in the Salt Lake Valley through a number of initiatives, including vehicle idling programs, energy efficient home construction in the community of Daybreak, and reducing emissions at their onsite power plant. When the state’s fossil fuel industry put on a controversial Earth Day poster contest, asking kids to share where we’d be without oil, gas and mining, the group shot back with their own contest. They called it the Love Your Mother Earth Day Poster Contest. They breathed a relieved sigh when Utah Governor Herbert vetoed a plan to share water with Las Vegas.

Utah’s department of Environmental Quality released this infographic showing the top three sources of air pollution in Utah and what is being done about them. Industry only accounts for 11 percent, a figure that has been debated by environmental groups like Utah Moms for Clean Air. Part of the problem is caused by things beyond our control such as weather patterns, our geography and the inversions it creates (and not just in the Winter).

The state is responding by stepping up regulations with plans to ban wood burning boilers in some counties and new laws prohibit cars from idling. Overall, the goal is to reduce pollution across the Wasatch Front by 30 percent. That’s an ambitious goal for sure, but one that the state needs to take in order to safeguard the health of its citizens and our future economy.

Janet Thaeler @Newspapergrl is a professional blogger and online public relations professional who holds a B.S. in Conservation Biology from Brigham Young University. As someone with an interest in environmental issues, and as the Brand Ambassador for Avalaunch Media, she approached them about creating an infographic to visualize Utah’s air pollution problem. She found research from many sources and hopes it will help motivate necessary changes.