OGDEN — Green, yellow, orange, red, purple and maroon.
Those are the possible colors of the day that the state air quality index uses to tell you how severe the air pollution is when you breathe outside.
Most people are aware of the first four colors, but many may not know about purple and maroon air days. That's because, fortunately, they are rarely posted on the air quality index report.
The purpose of the air quality index is to help residents understand what the local air means to their health, said Weber-Morgan Health Department Director Gary House.
The index is divided into six categories, designated by colors. Green is the best and means the air is good and poses little or no risk. Maroon is the worst and poses a hazardous health risk, even to normally healthy people.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency's website, most states in the nation have rarely exceeded the red zone, which is categorized as unhealthy. If the air quality were to hit maroon, it would be considered extremely hazardous to the entire population. Health warnings about emergency conditions would be issued by widespread media coverage.
"Air quality has become a very serious health concern. That's just the reality here, and we need to accept that reality," House said. "I don't think we've ever exceeded beyond the red in the state of Utah."
The Weber-Morgan Health Department recently launched a new campaign it hopes will alert people to the seriousness of the issue.
Three billboards will be posted throughout Weber County reminding people to reduce idling, maintain their vehicles and drive less. On its website (webermorganhealth.org) there's a new link showing the daily air quality index, which is monitored by the state, as well as basic information about air pollution.
"Not only does air quality have an impact on an individual, it has an impact on the community, the state's health, economic development and the tourism industry. We all need to be doing our part to help cut down on the amount of pollution in the air," House said.
House said the health department also wants to increase the public's awareness so everybody can do something to improve the air.
"We all can and should be more proactive and involved in reducing air pollution," he said.
House said the health department is hoping to create a coalition to address air pollution issues. He invites anyone from Utah to participate, give feedback on the website and offer any additional help in an effort to educate the public.
"We are hoping people will respond to the campaign and help us put this together," House said. "We feel like now is the time to come forward and get involved so we can all do whatever we possibly can to reduce air pollution in the state of Utah."
In addition, beginning this month, drivers will receive a Personal Pollution Contribution Report when they take their car in for an emissions test, said Lori Buttars, Weber-Morgan Health Department public relations director.
"Once the analyzers are up and running properly, each vehicle that passes the test will get a personal pollution report that talks about how the vehicle is performing, how much they spent in fuel and how they can reduce pollution and save fuel," Buttars said. "They are being installed in all the certified testing centers, and we are training the shops on how to use them."
Air pollution, especially fine particle pollution, has been linked with a series of significant health problems that include bronchitis, pneumonia, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and worsened asthma, said Dr. Douglas Jones, a physician at Rocky Mountain Asthma, Allergy & Immunology in Layton.
"People can develop lower respiratory infections such as bronchitis or pneumonias from poor air quality," Jones said. "Other lung diseases such as asthma and COPD can be worsened from it as well. Those with those disorders should use caution."
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