BLOGMAS Day 3: Winter Inversions
This picture shows Salt Lake City on November 19th, the first yellow air day of 2014.
Oh yuck! And they say smoking is bad for you...
Today is also a yellow air day and so was yesterday. I woke up in the middle of a full blown asthma attack and I could not go to work. When I look out the window I can see the haze and the layer of yellow in the air, I can smell and taste it as well. Sensitive people like me feel unwell, but the official notice says that it is still okay to go outside. Sometimes, I'm not so sure this is right. Pollution can have a serious impact on your health depending on where you live. Pollution, smog, inversion, call it as you like, is the dirty secret of Salt Lake City. The pollution in here is caused by emissions and weather circumstances. On cold days the air pollutants are trapped in the lower and denser air layers of the bowl shaped valley by higher altitude air layers that are much warmer. Since the air cannot escape for days or weeks, this will lead to higher pollution concentrations. However, there is air pollution in many urban places in the country and the world as you can see and track on this website. While a lot of negative impacts to the environment are hard to see to the average eye, smog is visible to everyone and a very blatant side-affect of air pollution. I'm sure it is damaging to our health. For this reason, inversions are a hot button topic of discussion every year between December and February. As an asthmatic I feel the difference right away in my lungs when I step outside on a hazy day. My husband makes me wear a face mask to filter out the particles, but he should probably wear one too. I'm not going to post a photo of me with the mask on because I look crazy when I wear it.
So why is the pollution so difficult for me and not that noticeable to someone with a healthy lung? When an inversion occurs, cold air and all the emissions from cars, homes and industries are trapped in the valley. This causes a perfect environment for the formation of fine particulates in the air. Scientists label the fine particular matter PM2.5 and that is also what they are referred to on air quality weather maps or forecasts. PM2.5 means that the particulate matter is less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers in diameter. This size is important because it is small enough to pass through the throat and nose to lodge deep in the lungs, and even pass through the barrier of your lungs and can thus enter into your bloodstream. Being outside in the pollution, gives me a splitting headache, and aggravates asthma so that I'm wheezing, coughing and unable breathe or sleep. Who knows what the long term effects are?
Unfortunately, there isn't anything immediate that can be done to prevent inversions and many people seem to accept it as a normal part of everyday life. You see few people wearing protective masks, but I'm sure people stay indoors as much as they can. It is not uncommon that people honk, or wave excitedly from the inside of their cars with an approving thumbs up when they see me with the mask on. A bit ironic that they would be giving their approval from within a car, but obviously they too understand the health hazards of the pollution. I'm sure the bad air in the valley has side effects for any living being. After all, we all need to breathe. The only thing that can be done is the reduction of emissions that cause the formation of fine particles. In order to do so, environmental reform needs to target the main three producers of the pollution: Homes, cars and industries.
Many people in the area believe that the biggest polluters are the oil refineries, and the Kennecot mine located not to far from the valley. The pollution they give off is most obvious when you pass these eye sores, however, of the main three producers, the big industries in the valley contribute for only 10 percent of the total pollution produced. Cars are the largest producer of emissions. The reason for this might be that Salt Lake City consists of a vast suburban sprawl. This sprawl encourages people to live further north and south in the valley and commute to work. In fact, if you don't live very centrally located you would need to use the car for almost everything that you wish to do outside of your home. Just think about the number of times you need to use your car on a daily basis. Can you do without it for a day?
To curb the pollutants from cars, an effort must be made to not drive when an inversion starts. You could stay home, share rides and use public transportation. The collective effort of individuals can contribute to curb the pollution problem. Homes and businesses are also major contributors. In order to minimize pollution, it is important to conserve as much energy as possible. Making sure that your apartment or house is weather tight for the winter, as well as using energy efficient appliances can also make a difference for the environment and not just for the winter lives of Salt Lake City residents.
The inversions in the Salt Lake valley are a nasty problem that has plagued the region since settlers first arrived. The natural shape of the valley creates a perfect situation for them to occur and with the build up of the pollutants in the air many people are affected every year. However, it is important not to be disheartened by the vast scale of this problem. Every person can and has to make the effort to curb their energy uses and their emissions if they would like to see a solution.
Stay warm and breathe easy.
♡ Nina
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