Exposure to wind-blown dust from exposed playa of the Utah lake is worse in Hispanic neighborhoods, according to new research. Findings suggest restoring the lake could ease social inequities associated with air pollution.
New research from the University of Utah demonstrates how wind-carried dust from the exposed bed of Great Salt Lake is disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities in the Salt Lake metro area.
More than two decades of drought and unrelenting upstream diversions have contributed to the decline of the saline terminal lake located immediately west and north of Utah's main population corridor along the Wasatch Front. The study analyzed data from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality's air-quality monitoring network, which screens for fine particulate matter, or PM. Comprised of ultra tiny particles that can penetrate lung tissue, this pollution is linked to myriad health problems, including cardiovascular disease and asthma.
According to the model, neighborhood disparities in exposure levels would increase when the lake level drops. He noted that potentially harmful dust events typically occur in the spring and fall when cold fronts pass through the Wasatch Front.
Mice Animal Learning And Intelligence Air Pollution Severe Weather Storms Environmental Policies Ocean Policy Resource Shortage
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Utah seeks to 'maintain' Great Salt Lake levels after it peaks below some projectionsThe Great Salt Lake's southern arm remains the highest it has been in five years, but it appears this year's peak will end up lower than some projections and expectations.
Read more »
Utah seeks to ‘maintain’ Great Salt Lake levels after it peaks below some projectionsThe anticipated peak is about 3 feet below the lake's minimum healthy level and about a half-foot below what Great Salt Lake deputy commissioner Tim Davis had hoped for this year.
Read more »
Could the U.S. military help save the Great Salt Lake?The Great Salt Lake was recently designated a Sentinel Landscape, an interagency program that focuses on preservation and protection of lands near U.S. military installations.
Read more »
Taxpayers are not getting their money's worth in Great Salt Lake mineral extraction, audit findsBen Winslow is a reporter with FOX 13 covering a variety of topics including government, the Great Salt Lake, vice and polygamy.
Read more »
Restoring the Great Salt Lake would have environmental justice as well as ecological benefitsInland seas around the world are drying up due to increasing human water use and accelerating climate change, and their desiccation is releasing harmful dust that pollutes the surrounding areas during acute dust storms.
Read more »
Why this summer probably won't be an 'anomaly' for the Great Salt LakeThose tasked with overseeing the Great Salt Lake's recovery say the lake could face more evaporative losses this summer than it did last year.
Read more »