The first inversion of the year has lasted all week with Thursday marking day 5 of cold air literally trapped under a layer of warm air, keeping pollutants near the valley floor. “The problem is trapped polluted air compounds with each day,” explains USU Air Quality Research Director Seth Lyman, who is hopeful a storm system will come in and release the inversion possibly on Saturday. Until then, however, citizens living under the inversion need to consider the health of Basin residents, their own and those at increased respiratory risk. “Anything that gets in the atmosphere stays in the atmosphere until the inversion ends,” explains Lyman. For that reason, choices that citizens make have a real impact on the air we are all sharing. Among the top requests that TriCounty Health is making is to stop warming up and idling vehicles. A new joint study through Weber State and USU have shown that there is no benefits to warming up a vehicle in the morning. It is actually more effective to start the car and then drive to get it warmed up quickly and efficiently. The study also found that it is better to turn a car off rather than idle, even for a short period of time. Opposite to popular belief, this actually saves on gas and does not add to the wear and tear of the vehicle. TriCounty Health asks that all citizens reduce their emissions, especially during an inversion. More tips and resources are available at
www.tricountyhealth.com
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Image source: The Daily Herald
