Residents of Salt Lake City, Utah, are suffering under the effects of a prolonged inversion that has been trapping air pollution and particulate matter near the ground for over a week now. On Sunday, Jan. 11, the air quality was given an orange rating on the AQI (Air Quality Index) scale, meaning that the air was unsafe for sensitive populations such as the elderly, children and people with heart and lung disease.
"I think it's terrible," Salt Lake city resident Jake Ljungberg told ABC 4 News. "It seems like my daughter is sick around this time. I wish I could just take a vacation and just get out of it."
An inversion occurs when a blanket of hot air forms in the upper atmosphere, causing pollution from cars, manufacturing and wood smoke to become trapped near the ground where people are more likely to breathe it in. The Utah state government is currently considering implementing some of the toughest burn bans in the country in the winter to lessen the damage these inversions can cause in sensitive individuals.
Meanwhile, local news networks have been debating the effectiveness of wearing face masks to block out pollution. Some Utah residents feel that the masks have helped them to avoid breathing in damaging particles. But according to Nathan Lacross, a Utah Department of Health epidemiologist, most face masks you can find in a store are not able to filter out the tiny, dangerous particulate matter called PM2.5, which is the cause of most adverse health effects related to poor air quality.
If you live in northern Utah, a home air purifier can do wonders for your health during the winter. Contact US Air Purifiers for help selecting the right air purifier for your needs.