Fourth of July fireworks cause Weber County air pollution to spike
An inversion covers Northern Utah and makes visibility limited in downtown Ogden on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. The Wasatch Front topped the nation in air pollution for the second day in a row on Thursday.
Dirty air trapped beneath the inversion glows in the setting sun over North Ogden on Friday, Dec. 30, 2016.
WEBER COUNTY — Air quality in Weber County was significantly affected by Fourth of July festivities, reports say.
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality reports that Weber County’s air quality took a huge hit, spiking to over 790 micrograms per cubic meter.
To put that into perspective, Davis County’s highest recent level was 77 micrograms per cubic meter, and Salt Lake County reached 29 micrograms per cubic meter over the Independence Day holiday.
The high level of airborne pollutants is extremely harmful to everyone, especially to children, elderly adults, or those with lung disease or asthma.
Everyone is encouraged to limit outdoor exposure and outdoor exertion.
A mandatory air quality action is in effect from Wednesday until Friday. This means that open burning is not permitted, and solid fuel burning is not to be used, according to the Department of Environmental Quality.
Contact digital producer Jacob Scholl at jscholl@standard.net or follow him on Twitter @Jacob_Scholl.