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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2005
Contacts:
Bob Dalley, Utah Air Monitoring Center, 801.887.0762
Grant Koford, Bear River Health Department, 435.792.6575
(Salt Lake City, Utah) - The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Bear River Health Department today announce the end of this season’s Choose Clean Air “Red Light, Green Light” air quality program, which curtails wood burning and other polluting activities, such as driving, along the Wasatch Front and in Cache County during winter inversions, as of Monday, March 14.
The program normally ends March 1, but because of continuing winter conditions and the possibility of more inversions, DEQ and the Bear River Health Department decided to extend this winter’s program by two weeks.
During the season, which began Nov. 1, 2004, the Division of Air Quality called two “red” days and 20 “yellow” days in Salt Lake and Davis counties, and zero “red” and “yellow” days in both Utah County and Weber County. Furthermore, the Bear River Health Department called 17 “red” days and 18 “yellow” days in Cache County.
“Broad public action has been a key element in minimizing pollution,” said Utah Division of Air Quality Director Rick Sprott. “Utahns understood their role in preserving air quality and adhered to the wood-burn advisories. We also saw incredible citizen actions in Cache County where the campaign focused on curbing the use of cars just prior to and during inversions.”
Wood-burning conditions are identified as “Red, Yellow, Green” — similar to traffic lights. The program is used to notify citizens when they can burn wood in a fireplace, depending upon pollution levels. “Red” means burning is prohibited and people are asked to reduce vehicle trips, use mass transit and conserve energy. Likewise, industries are asked to minimize their release of air pollutants and ensure that air pollution control equipment is functioning properly. “Yellow” means a voluntary no burn, and “green” means burning is allowed.
Particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) is the primary winter pollutant. Wood burning produces soot and dust that are components of particulate, as are emissions from vehicles and other engines. Fine particles can become lodged in delicate lung tissue, decreasing lung function, especially for people with respiratory and cardiovascular ailments.
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