The Air We Breathe: Protecting Your Kids During an Inversion

by Elizabeth Joy, MD, MPH, Michelle Hofmann, MD, MPH, & Steven Bergstrom

It comes as no surprise to anyone living along Utah’s Wasatch Front that our air quality is compromised for days to weeks come wintertime. Our murky air is referred to as an “inversion” as it is the reverse of a normal air pattern (i.e., cooler air above, warmer air below). During inversions, the Wasatch Front valleys and their surrounding mountains act like bowls, trapping a dense layer of cold air under a layer of warm air. The warm layer acts much like a lid, and any pollution produced during an inversion becomes trapped in the cold air near the valley floor (Figure 1). This warm inversion air layer is usually displaced when a strong storm system blows in, releasing lower polluted air, and restoring air quality to healthier levels.

Children with Acute Respiratory Problems Face a Higher Risk During an Inversion

Poor air quality is unhealthy for everyone, but some groups are more susceptible than others. Children, especially those with asthma, are considered at high risk because they spend more time playing outdoors, their bodies are still developing, and they breathe more rapidly than adults, inhaling more air per pound of body weight. The elderly and those with acute or chronic respiratory problems, or vascular diseases such as heart disease or stroke, are also at high risk. Given that nearly one third of Utah’s population is younger than 18 or older than 65, in addition to the more than 200,000 Utahns with asthma, and 500,000 with heart disease, addressing air quality is indeed a public health imperative.

The primary contributor to our poor air quality and its impact on health during an inversion is fine particulate matter (PM) pollution. Often referred to as PM2.5, the 2.5 refers to the size of the particle (2.5 micrometers per cubic meter). Figure 2 provides some perspective on the size of these particles-which is 30 times smaller than a human hair!

Monitor Air Quality and Protect Your Family’s Health

A growing body of evidence suggests that even on some of Utah’s best air quality days, there are pollution sources that may be impacting health. In particular, living, working, and attending school within close proximity to major roadways results in exposure to automotive emissions that are a major source of PM2.5 and other harmful air pollutants. Considering how you can prevent or reduce exposures to vehicle exhaust is a good step everyone can take to protect themselves and their children from some of the harmful effects of air pollution. Avoid idling your vehicle, exercise outdoors away from major roadways, and for schools located near highways, schedule outdoor activities outside of peak rush hour times.

Other ways to protect ourselves and our loved ones include “reading the air.” Much like checking the temperature to know how to dress for the day, look at the current air quality conditions to know if you and your family need to use extra caution with outdoor activities that increase pollution exposures. Useful tools for monitoring air quality can be found on www.airnow.gov or www.airquality.utah.gov, or UtahAir, an app that can be downloaded onto your smart phone for real time, local air quality information. These tools also provide exposure recommendations for people with and without sensitive conditions that may be exacerbated by poor air quality. First and foremost, always listen to your body, and consider if air quality may be influencing you or your child’s health, by monitoring for symptoms like increased cough, chest tightness, wheezing, or difficulty breathing after exposures to air pollution.

Personal Responsibility in Air Quality Improvement

In addition to protecting our health, we all have a responsibility to improve air quality in Utah. Utah’s Clean Air Action Team (CAAT) published a number of recommendations aimed at improving our air quality. Some of these recommendations are aimed at policy makers such as access to lower sulfur gasoline, and investing resources to expand public transportation.

However, there are several recommendations that are actionable at an individual or household level. These include reducing both wood burning and total miles driven per person during inversion periods, and installation of ultra-low nitrogen oxide water heaters. According to the CAAT report, the emissions from heating 1 home with wood burning as the sole heating source is equivalent to emissions from 200 homes heated with natural gas in terms of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Be a part of the solution, by doing all that you can to reduce your own contribution to Utah’s poor air quality.

About the Author

Primary Children's Hospital

Primary Children’s Hospital ranks among the best children's hospitals. Located in scenic Utah, everything in our hospital is focused on providing the best care for children. For more than 90 years, we have been committed to helping children, families, and communities across the western United States.

http://primarychildrens.org

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