Poor air quality is unhealthy for everyone. During inversions, the primary pollutant of concern is PM2.5. These particles are like sandpaper on our airways.
Experts at the Division of Air Quality tell us that when the inversion is in place, air pollution doubles daily!
Three things we can ALL do to help improve air quality:
1. Don't idle—Shutting off your car while you wait. Idling for 10 seconds wastes more gas than restarting your engine. And, plan ahead by putting an extra scarf or blanket in your car to have handy and keep you warmer.
2. Telework—Many of us have been teleworking more during the pandemic. Research we conducted this past summer showed that more than 90% of employees and employers said they want to continue making teleworking available on poor air quality days. With inversions doubling daily, teleworking can save thousands of pounds of emissions from our air.
3. Fill up with Tier 3 Fuel. Cleaner burning Tier 3 fuel is now available in Utah. UCAIR partners Chevron, Marathon and Silver Eagle refinery have spent years and millions of dollars to develop Tier 3. The benefit is the pollution reduction it delivers is the equivalent of taking about four to five cars off the road.
Two things you can do to decrease emissions from your home:
1. Switch to a gas-powered snowblower— Gas-powered snowblowers emit a lot of pollution in our air. Using a gas-powered blower to clear your driveway and walks this winter can be the equivalent of driving your vehicle from Los Angeles to Miami.
2. Watch burning advisories and look into switching your stoves and fireplaces to natural gas—it emits approximately 150 times less particle pollution than a wood stove.
For more information you can visit UCAIR.org. It a great resource to find out even more things you can do, learn about available rebates for making air quality improvements in your home, submit your air quality story and more.
