Winter inversion obscuring view of distant Provo Canyon. Pollutants lead to low contrast near the base of the mountains.
Air quality in Utah is often some of the worst in the United States.[1][2] Poor air quality in Utah is due to the mountainous topography which can cause pollutants to build up near the surface (especially during inversions[2]) combined with the prevalence of emissions from gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles, especially older models.[3][4] Burning wood fuel for home heating can also contribute significantly to poor air quality. Homes heated with wood contribute about 3000 times the amount of pollution as homes heated with natural gas.[4] About 50% of air pollution in Salt Lake County is from vehicles.[5]
In 2024 the American Lung Association (ALA) ranked Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem area as the 9th worst city for ozone air quality in the U.S. and 19th for worst short-term particle pollution. Logan was ranked the 21st worst city for short-term particle pollution. Of the 14 counties with ozone data from 2020 to 2022, 6 received an "F" grade by the ALA, and 6 of 10 counties monitored received an "F" for particulate pollution.[6] An MIT study estimated that over 450 deaths annually in Utah are due to poor air quality.[7]
Utah has had mixed responses to poor air quality. For example, from 2015 to 2016 the state offered up to a $1500 credit for clean fuel vehicles[8] However, in 2019 Utah began imposing an additional registration fee on clean fuel vehicles that will increase to $120 annually by 2021.[9]
^Neugebauer, Cimaron (Jan 31, 2017). "Salt Lake City has the worst air quality in the nation". kutv.com. KUTV. Retrieved Nov 24, 2019.
^ abPark, McKenna (Feb 28, 2017). "Utah cities top charts for worst air quality". The Universe (student newspaper). Retrieved Nov 24, 2019.
^"Utah Issues - The Air We Breathe". pbs.org. PBS. Feb 5, 2014. Retrieved Nov 17, 2022.
^ ab"Pollution Sources". kued.org. KUED. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved Nov 17, 2022.
^"Air Quality – Sustainability". slco.org. Salt Lake County. Retrieved Dec 13, 2019.
^"Most Polluted Cities | State of the Air". www.lung.org. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
^Cite error: The named reference Caiazzo2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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