Poor Air Quality in Salt Lake County, UT, Worsens

Menacingly looming over Salt Lake County is a layer of dense fog and fine particulate pollution that can be expected to stay over the next few days. It is anticipated that Salt Lake County’s air quality will continue to deteriorate and fall into the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category, worsening the already poor conditions.

The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (‘DEQ’) released a health forecast for air quality on Saturday, December 16, that was categorized as “moderate.” To be classified as moderate, the air quality needs to be between 51 and 100 AQI. In this category, the quality of the air is satisfactory, but a very tiny percentage of people should be moderately concerned about their health due to certain pollutants. Sunday, December 17, there was a change in the air quality to “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” Air quality is deemed “unhealthy for sensitive groups” when the AQI value for particle pollution falls between 101 and 150, often known as Code Orange. When it reaches this, it is advised to limit prolonged or intense effort in this range for those with heart or lung problems, older adults, children, diabetics, and those with lower socioeconomic status. People with asthma should limit their time spent outside, lessen their participation in strenuous activities, and take more breaks during the day, especially when the air quality is classified as unhealthy for sensitive groups.