Pollution

Utahns can now learn what — other than cars — causes the winter pollution that so concerns the Division of Air Quality.

Snowblowers, domestic animals, farm machinery, graphic art chemicals and deep-frying equipment also add to the pollutants in the air, according to a DAQ report released Monday.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Electric cars have a dirty little secret.

Heavily advertised for their "zero" emissions, electric cars actually can expose people to more air pollution than gasoline cars, according to a University of Tennessee study.

OGDEN — Green, yellow, orange, red, purple and maroon.

OGDEN -- Weber County beat the rest of the Wasatch Front on Friday for the dubious honor of having the first "red" day in this year's dirty-air season.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Federal researchers plan to color the saline waters of the Great Salt Lake with a fluorescent red dye to study the spread of pollutants from nearby mining operations and sewage plants.

The non-toxic dye will be fed into a stream that enters the lake at its southern end. The tests will begin Tuesday if weather allows, the U.S.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah officials are seeking an exemption from penalties for air pollution in Ogden caused by fireworks during Fourth of July celebrations.

The Division of Air Quality says the excessive pollution earlier this year should be considered an "exceptional event" under federal guidelines because Utah residents are exuberant about using fireworks.

The division is also seeking exemptions in Ogden and the southern Salt Lake valley for 2010.

The DAQ is currently accepting public comment on the requested exemptions for 2011 through Oct. 17.

AVALON, Calif. -- By the hundreds of thousands each year, they sail to Avalon by ferry and cruise ship for diving trips, glass-bottom boat tours and to lounge on the beach in the Catalina Island town 26 miles off the Southern California coast.

Yet the same crystal-clear water that draws tourists also harbors an embarrassing hazard. For most of the last decade, Avalon Harbor Beach has ranked among the most polluted in the state, tainted with human sewage that puts swimmers at risk.