Tooele Valley hasn’t exceeded federal pollution standards yet

Tooele Valley hasn’t been immune from the hazy conditions that have plagued the Wasatch Front over the past few weeks, but fine particulate matter has yet to exceed federal limitations locally so far this winter.

According to Bo Call, manager of the state Division of Air Quality’s air monitoring center, the PM 2.5 standard was not exceeded in Tooele in November or thus far in December, though samples collected from the filter can be up to 10 days behind the current date, plus a delay due to the holidays.

“We could’ve had an exceedance, but we wouldn’t know it until next week,” Call said.

Meanwhile, numerous yellow and red air quality alert days have been issued by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality for the Wasatch Front over the past few weeks, including a red alert today for Salt Lake, Davis, Weber and Utah counties.

A health advisory has also been issued for those counties, which suggests people with respiratory conditions or heart disease, the elderly and children should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.

In general, Call said Tooele’s air quality is two or three microns below the Salt Lake City air monitoring site near Hawthorne Elementary School in Salt Lake City at about 1700 South and 700 East.

“In the same time frame [since November], the Hawthorne site shows no days of exceedance either,” Call said. “There is one that was almost, but not quite [an exceedance], but there again we still have a fair bit of data from December, from the majority of our inversion, that isn’t available right at the moment.”

Jeff Coombs, deputy director of the Tooele County Health Department, said it’s evident just by looking outside that recent inversions have meant worsening air quality.

“We’re told by the state that whatever is suggested [green, yellow or red days] in Salt Lake County is what we should follow in Tooele County,” Coombs said.

For example, if a yellow or red day is issued for Salt Lake County — meaning driving should be reduced to as little as possible — Tooele County residents should follow that same recommendation.

Coombs added he’d like more specific Tooele Valley guidelines from the state.

On red days, wood burning is prohibited, and yellow days are voluntary no-burn days. Burning is allowed on green days.

Coombs suggested several ways to cope with bad air quality days.

“Whenever it’s a yellow or a red day, especially on a red day, the best thing to do is to carpool, if possible, not do outdoor activities and minimize the amount of travel you do,” he said.

In the winter, the pollutant of concern is PM 2.5, which is particulate matter made up of small pieces of dust and soot. According to the Division of Air Quality, part of PM 2.5’s danger comes from being so small it can become entrenched in lung tissue, which can in turn cause respiratory problems.

Recent weather conditions haven’t helped local air quality.

“It goes along with winter and when we get our inversions,” Coombs said. “It’s been a cold month, too. The colder the weather the more inversions we get, and the less air movement.”

An inversion occurs when colder air and pollution become trapped beneath warmer air. As pollutants rise, they also become trapped, causing the brown air often seen during the winter months.

Sarah Miley: swest@tooeletranscript.com