Salt Lake City is among the worst in the world right now for air quality. IQAir ranked the city as the fourth-worst in the world on Tuesday morning (August 10th). It's the worst in America for air quality. As of Saturday morning (August 7th), the city was the second-worst in the world and the worst in the nation.
The state's air quality is categorized as "unhealthy" right now. This means that doctors and other experts are advising Utahns to stay inside and to drive as little as possible. Dr. Denitza Blagev from Intermountain Healthcare told ABC 4, "Don't think that because you're not in a sensitive group that this air pollution won't affect you, it will."
So what is causing the poor air quality across the state?
ABC 4 reported that the poor air quality is a result of smoke from nearby wildfires.
The National Weather Service is predicting that the bad air quality will continue into Wednesday, August 11th.
The most vulnerable groups of individuals to be affected by the poor air quality are seniors, children, and those with respiratory issues. Dr. Karen Woolf at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children told Fox 13 Now, "Certainly every summer when the air quality is poor, we do see an uptick in asthma exacerbations and trips to the ER for wheezing and trouble with asthma."