Being idle-free might seem too simple, or maybe it’s so simple you don’t think it will make a difference. According to the EPA, on average, every gallon of gasoline burned creates about 8,887 grams of CO2. CO2 is the gas that contributes to ozone. Your car also releases CH4 and N20 along with the CO2. Those particles get stuck in our air when we have inversion or ozone.
Summer is wrapping up, and that means in a few months, we could be faced with an inversion. Now is the best time to prepare. Not to worry, we have three simple tips for everyone to use that will help you navigate Utah’s air quality and even help improve it. Whether you are a native or new to our beautiful state, these tips will help us all.
By now, you’ve probably had a taste of teleworking. One positive thing that came from the COVID-19 pandemic is that working from home became more common. It was an effective way to reduce the spread of the virus and keep people healthy, but teleworking can also improve your health in other ways. In fact, teleworking is the solution to multiple health issues, one of the most prominent being air quality.
UCAIR has partnered with Boeing, Union Pacific and the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation again for the ShowUCAIR Gas Can Exchange program. The Exchange is a free program that is open to all residents of non-attainment counties in Utah to exchange their old gas can for a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) compliant gas can to help reduce emissions and improve Utah’s air quality. All gas cans will be exchanged for a new 5 gallon SureCan gas cans.
The 6th Annual UCAIR Summit was a success! It looked a little different this year with precautions in place to abide by COVID-19 restrictions, but there was still plenty to report and celebrate. 2020 was a year full of change and that goes for the air and our organization as well.
When we talk about clearing the air, things like active transportation and reducing idling might be the first things that come to mind. While those are staple ways to help Utah’s air, there are plenty of other ways to make an impact inside your own home. Our partner, Rocky Mountain Power, is making it worth your while to make air-continuous updates to your home with their WattSmart program.
Family and Sports Medicine physician, Dr. Liz Joy, MD, MPH, shares air quality health insights on our blog this month. She practices at Intermountain Healthcare where she is the Medical Director Community Health and Nutrition and also currently serves as Co-Chair of the Air Quality and Health Workgroup and UCAIR’s Board of Directors Chair.
The wildfires may be in California, but the smoke, and its health effects, are traveling across the country. The smoke pollution seen in Utah this summer originated from intense amounts of energy produced by blazes in California (and Oregon).
We often see clear skies in Utah during the summer months, but there is still a pollution predator affecting our air quality that may not be as well known. Just like a real villain, ground ozone is sneaky. It strikes even when the weather is good.
Heading into the warmer months also means heading into the ozone season in Utah. Ground-level ozone is just as harmful as winter inversion, even though you may not hear about it as often.
