Air in summer has many S.L. kids gasping

Air in summer has many S.L. kids gasping
By Joe Baird
The Salt Lake Tribune

The hazy days of summer are making life increasingly tough for Salt Lake City area children.

A new report released Monday by the New York-based Environmental Defense ranks the Utah capital as the 37th-worst metropolitan area in terms of how summer air pollution impacts kids - particularly those who suffer from asthma.

According to the study, 8 percent of Salt Lake City's summer days during a three-year period (2001-03) worsened conditions for the area's estimated 34,374 children with asthma.

"Salt Lake City's pretty low on the list, comparatively speaking. But when you say 8 percent, you're still talking about a lot of kids," said study author John Balbus, director of Environmental Defense's health program. "Despite all of the talk about cleaner air, we're not there yet. There's still a fight that needs to be waged to keep our kids from being exposed to unhealthy levels of pollution."

Ironically, Salt Lake City just concluded a summer in which it recorded no bad-air days, a trend that Balbus says played out throughout the country. But he calls it the exception - not the rule.

"It was an anomaly because it was cool and it rained much more frequently, but this isn't a trend. It's not a solution to the problem based upon what we've seen over the last 20 years," he said. "If anything, it's gotten warmer and it's gotten drier. So, long term, we need to do something about the sources of air pollution. We can't depend on the weather."

To eliminate those pollution sources, the study advocates going beyond EPA standards for new diesel engines - which begin in 2007 - to include retrofitting existing diesel motors; reducing pollution levels from power plants; advocating for more and cleaner transportation options and finding alternatives to rush-hour commuting schedules.

And child advocates say that it's time to get serious about this for one very simple reason:

"Asthma is a dramatically increasing problem with kids, and the problem is, we don't know why," said Bill Barnes, a Primary Children's Medical Center spokesman.

Adds Terry Haven, a program coordinator for Utah Children: "There is a cost associated with all of this. Whether it's dollars, or school days missed or children simply not feeling well. This really does impact a child's quality of life, particularly if they're not insured and don't have access to a primary care physician. They aren't able to take preventative measures."