Such sweeping averages, however, obscure pollution events which often afflict the city, giving way to unhealthy air pollution days.īetween 20, Salt Lake City experienced a weighted average of 25.7 days of unhealthy ozone and 11.5 days of unhealthy PM2.5. In 2019, Salt Lake City AQI was 25 for the year, safely within federal levels. If Salt Lake City air quality is only understood from the perspective of annual averages, it would appear that the city has US AQI “good” air quality. As a result of this weather effect, winter months can experience more than five times the PM2.5 concentration as in summer months. Temperature inversions in the winter trap polluted air, preventing its normal dispersal. Seasonal fluctuations play a significant role in Salt Lake City air pollution.
Currently, 601,131 residents fall into this category of being especially threatened by the city’s unhealthy PM2.5 and ozone levels. These ratings place Salt Lake City in a similar position to Los Angeles for 24-hour PM2.5 and Denver for ozone pollution.Įxcessive Salt Lake City air pollution is particularly harmful to the county’s sensitive groups, including children, the elderly, and those with heart and lung disease like COPD, asthma, and lung cancer. According to the 2019 State of the Air report, the Salt Lake City area, which includes Provo and Orem, ranked 7th out of 217 metropolitan areas for worst 24-hour particle pollution, and 11th out of 228 metropolitan areas for worst ozone pollution. 1 This severe nonattainment status has resulted in consistent “F” ratings for both measures. Salt Lake City air quality has never met federal attainment levels for ozone or 24-hour PM2.5 pollution.
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