Extreme drought conditions across Utah have combined with smoke from western wildfires in California, Idaho, Washington and Oregon to create unhealthy air quality.
University of Utah graduate student Kai Wilmot says he is concerned about what we’re going to be looking at from August into September. He is expecting the air to only get worse based on trends he and his team are tracking.
Wilmost says individuals can help improve air quality by staying home when possible or taking public transportation and carpooling. However, Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah spokesperson Meisei Gonzalez says we are getting to a point where small changes like those aren’t making much of an impact. He said if big things don’t change, Utahns should accept these conditions as a new norm.
