By Christopher Seifert
Due to a temperature inversion along the Wasatch Front, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality released a health advisory Wednesday Feb. 6 for young and elderly individuals as well as those suffering from heart and lung disease.
The advisory recommends that sensitive individuals living in Utah, Salt Lake, Davis and Weber Counties refrain from 'heavy exertion' and increased activity levels lasting longer than 30 minutes.
'People that are at risk or people that are already sick with something just have to reduce their risk to exposure in an inversion as much as possible,' said Stephen McDonald, a spokesperson with the Utah Department of Health. 'It just means stay inside.'
The presence of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter in the air during an inversion can be harmful to individuals, he said.
Possible adverse effects include decreased oxygen levels to tissues and organs, aggravated breathing problems and in some cases lung tissue damage, McDonald said.
The body''s defense system against bacteria and viruses may also be impaired.
McDonald said individuals at risk should limit their physical activity as much as they can.
'If they do experience problems, they need to contact their physician as soon as possible,' he said.
Some local nursing homes are taking care to protect their residents from health problems related to inversion.
'We always take precautions with the elderly in the winter,' said Bruce Allison, administrator of the Country View Manor, a nursing home in Provo.
So far, he said, the effects of inversion have not been significantly worse than usual.
'Last winter we had a lot of problems, but this winter has been pretty good,' Allison said.
Inversions are caused by high-pressure weather systems that trap cold air beneath warm air, said Dianne Nielson, executive director for the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
Inversions trap pollution close to the ground, she said.
'Normally, we don''t see them in February,' she said. 'It is unusual to be getting an inversion of this magnitude at this time of year.'
Olympic spectators and athletes need not worry for their health, she said.
'In terms of Olympic venues we''re okay for air quality right now, but we''re issuing the advisory for individuals who are outside on the Wasatch Front so they can best judge for themselves.'