Salt Lake City and Air Pollution: What Can You Do?

Salt Lake City has a well known

reputation for being a great place to
raise a family, amid having the
greatest snow on earth and some of
the best hiking trails one could ask for.
However, Salt Lake also has some of the
worst pollution levels, and it’s residents suffer
the effects. Despite this grim reality however, there is something we can do.

Among the snowy peaks and clean streets of Salt Lake, residents
are also experiencing some of the worst air quality “according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality
technology company that specializes in protection against airborne pollutants and developing air
quality monitoring. Salt Lake City was also ranked Monday morning among the top five cities in
the world for bad air-quality, behind Shanghai, China, Lahore, Pakistan, Hangzhou, China, and
Dhaka, Bangladesh” (Gardiner, 2020). So, what can we do?
In an article published in the Deseret News, we find that “Salt Lake City ranks 10th in the U.S.
for worst ozone pollution, and 19th for worst short term particle pollution” (Dunphey, 2023). As
we can see from the two figures above, whether we are discussing Salt Lake City on a national or
a global level, Salt Lake residents cannot deny they are facing poor air quality issues, and the
effects that come along with that. Despite this reality, we can work together to modify simple
actives such as our means of transportation or being more mindful in resources we use and how
often.

When confronted with the reality that air pollution poses on our environment, many tend to think
of just that, the environment. Potentially pondering on what could or should be done to save trees
perhaps, or clean up the rivers and oceans. Nonetheless along with these important realities we
also need to consider that “air pollution still impacts human health. It is the cause of an estimated
100,000 premature deaths among Americans every year” (Booth, 2023). So while many of us are
preoccupied deciding if we believe in global warming or not, pollution for residents of Salt Lake
City is slowly, steadily, and even somewhat silently taking its toll on the health of locals.
While we can recognize that the air quality is fairly poor in the Salt Lake Valley, there are some
lingering questions left to consider. As residents of Salt Lake it would make sense to wonder why
the air quality is so poor a lot of the time, what this could actually mean for overall health, as
well as what can be done to combat this issue, and ensure that future generations can safely
reside here.

When it comes to pollution in Salt Lake City we

are dealing with a little different set of
circumstances, as far as the natural design of the
valley, being shaped like a bowl due to the
positioning of surrounding mountains, and what
that can mean for trapping the air pollution. First
off we understand that “air pollution is a mix of
hazardous substances from both human-made and
natural sources” (NIH, 2024).
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences explains that “vehicle emissions, fuel
oils and natural gas to heat homes, by-products of manufacturing and power generation,
particularly coal-fueled power plants, and fumes from chemical production are the primary
sources of human-made air pollution” (NIH, 2024). Which means that if we each be more
mindful of our daily activities, such as our driving trips around town, we can start to reduce air
pollution. In addition pollution also occurs when “nature releases hazardous substances into the
air, such as smoke from wildfires, which are often caused by people; ash and gases from volcanic
eruptions; and gases, like methane, which are emitted from decomposing organic matter in soils”
(NIH, 2024)
In regard to the harmful chemicals that
air pollution creates “the EPA has
identified six pollutants as criteria air
pollutants because it regulates them by
developing human health-based and/or
environmentally-based criteria
(science-based guidelines) for setting
permissible levels. These six pollutants
are carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen
oxides, ground-level ozone, particle
pollution (often referred to as
particulate matter), and sulfur oxides”
(CDC, 2022). Basically these elements
would be the harmful gases and matter
that are created as a result of all the
pollution in the valley. These are the
same elements that would then be
causing all the health concerns
residents face due to the air quality.
The good news is however that we can
do something about it.

Many might be wondering how all these chemicals from air pollution affect them and it’s
actually something that has been studied for some time now. In fact, results from one long-term
study were “able to confirm that air pollution can have health impacts on every major organ in
the body, can shorten our lives, contribute towards chronic illness and put us more at risk from
COVID-19. When we breathe polluted air, it can inflame the lining of our lungs, moving into our
bloodstream ending up in the heart and brain, causing lung disease, heart disease, dementia,
strokes, and cancer” (Global Action Plan, 2022).
After taking a closer look we find that, “research published in the past three years has revealed
that environmental pollution causes much more damage to human health and the economy than
previously understood [1,2,3]. The best longitudinal and cross-sectional studies now suggest that
one in four deaths is attributable to environmental pollution—approximately 15.2 million
premature deaths worldwide every year (Figure 1) [1,2,3]. This immense health burden amounts
to 5 times more deaths than caused by tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria combined; 10 times more
deaths than from transportation accidents; 30 times more deaths than global malnutrition; and 90
times more deaths than caused by all wars and terrorism (Figure 1)” (Errigo et. Al, 2020). With
these facts we can begin to
understand that it’s important for
all of to do our part.

Now that we have discussed what

air pollution is, where is comes
from, what it produces, and why
it is harmful to residents of Salt
Lake, we are left with what can
be done and is there anything
residents themselves can do, or is
the issue bigger than that.
UCAR

When it comes to reducing air pollution there are several possibilities on many levels that range
from federal and state regulations and trickle down to what each individual can do. Some of
these initiatives many seem simple and therefore may also seem useless; however, even the
smallest action can make a big difference in our future health. Changes that residents of Salt
Lake can make to their routines on a daily or weekly basis including choosing to walk, bike, or
carpool, as well as composting, reducing energy use/being mindful of energy use, and even
paying attention to pollution levels and choosing activities accordingly can all aid in making a
larger impact on our air quality. Residents can also support local cycling infrastructures and the
investment in public transportation to give everyone opportunities to reduce pollution.
In would appear that although air pollution is a real issue we face on a large scale, there are many
opportunities for the residents of Salt Lake to aid in reduction and therefore in creating a
healthier Utah for only current locals, but also for the future.
 Works Cited:

Gardiner, Jennifer. “Salt Lake City Ranked as One of the Worst Cities for Air Quality in the
World, Utah Doctor Weighs In.” ABC4 Utah, ABC4 Utah, 7 Sept. 2020, www.abc4.com/news/
salt-lake-city-ranked-as-one-of-the-worst-cities-for-air-quality-in-the-world-utah-doctor-weighs-
in/.

Dunphey, Kyle. “Report: Northern Utah Has Some of the Country’s Worst Ozone, Particulate
Pollution.” Deseret News, Deseret News, 19 Apr. 2023, www.deseret.com/utah/
2023/4/19/23690368/states-with-worst-air-pollution-how-bad-is-air-in-utah/.

Booth, James, and Written by James Booth James has over ten years experience as a content
producer and editor. He focuses on writing articles that are compelling. “The Worst U.S. States
for Air Quality.” HouseFresh, Independant , 16 Nov. 2023, housefresh.com/the-worst-u-s-states-
for-air-quality/.

“Air Pollution and Your Health.” National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, 2024, www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/air-
pollution.

“Air Pollutants.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 21 Nov. 2022, www.cdc.gov/air/
pollutants.htm#:~:text=These%20six%20pollutants%20are%20carbon,matter)
%2C%20and%20sulfur%20oxides.

“Clean Air Day 2022: Air Pollution Impacts Every Organ in the Body.” Global Action Plan,
2024, www.globalactionplan.org.uk/news/clean-air-day-2022air-pollution-impacts-every-organ-
in-the-body.

Errigo, Isabella M., et al. “Human Health and Economic Costs of Air Pollution in Utah: An
Expert Assessment.” MDPI, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 18 Nov. 2020,
www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/11/1238.

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