Tag Archives: indoor air quality

Indoor Air Quality: Microplastics in Indoor Air?

Illustration of a living room with text about indoor air quality and microplastics. Transcribed Text: Take Charge of Your Indoor Air Quality Microplastics in Indoor Air: What We Know & What You Can Do.

Microplastics in Indoor Air: What We Know & What You Can Do

February is a time when we usually spend more time indoors, making indoor air quality especially important for your health and comfort.

What Are Microplastics?

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters. Indoors, they are most found as microscopic synthetic fibers shed from materials like polyester, nylon, acrylic, and polypropylene. Research shows these particles occur widely in indoor air and are inhaled during everyday activities.

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Indoor Air Quality: Test Your Home for Radon

Promotional graphic about the Clean Air SLC program for improving indoor air quality in people's homes. The image features hands cupping a small, blue paper cutout of a house. Transcribed text: Take Charge of Your Indoor Air Quality.

January is Radon Awareness Month

January is recognized nationwide as Radon Awareness Month, a public health initiative led by federal and state agencies to encourage radon testing and mitigation in homes and buildings.

Winter conditions often increase indoor radon levels due to reduced ventilation, making this month especially important for awareness and action.

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Indoor Air Quality: It’s Inversion Season: What You Need to Know

🌫️ It’s Inversion Season: What You Need to Know

Each winter, the Wasatch Front experiences a natural weather pattern called an inversion — when a layer of warm air traps colder air (and pollution) near the ground. With nowhere for pollutants to go, our valley becomes a smog-filled bowl.

This impacts outdoor air and can affect indoor air quality, especially during long-lasting inversion events. As we enter peak inversion season, here’s what you need to know to keep your home healthy, safe, and breathable.

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Indoor Air Quality: No Burn Days: Small Choices, Big Impact on Our Winter Air

🔥 Winter Air Quality Alert: Know the Rules, Protect the Air

Winter brings one of Utah’s biggest air quality challenges — inversions. But what exactly is an inversion? This natural phenomenon occurs when a high-pressure system is setting up, trapping cold air on the valley floors with warmer air above it. This warm air also traps all our pollution with the cold air, keeping it contained in the valley until the inversion breaks. 

To help keep our air healthy when it matters most, the Utah Division of Air Quality (UDAQ) created the Mandatory No Burn Program.

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Indoor Air Quality: Fall Cleaning & Healthy Lungs: Your Indoor Air Reset

🍂 Back Indoors: Fall Cleaning & Air Quality Reset

It’s hard to believe we’re already six months into the Indoor Air Quality program!

October is Healthy Lung Month — the perfect time to give your lungs and your home a fresh start. As cooler weather moves in and we spend more time indoors, a quick “Air Quality Reset” now can help you breathe easier all season long.

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Indoor Air Quality: 🚌 Back-to-School Edition: Go Idle-Free to Breathe Cleaner Air 🚗


September is Idle Free Awareness Month! As the temperatures start to cool, and inversion season approaches, we wanted to share some information about vehicle emissions from idling and its impacts on indoor air quality.

Every morning, cars idle in driveways, streets, and school zones. Exhaust drifts indoors—triggering asthma, worsening allergies, and affecting everyone in your home and community.

Vehicle exhaust makes up about 50% of the air pollution in Utah during a typical winter day, and unnecessary idling of cars and buses contribute a significant amount of emissions released into the air each day. That’s why we encourage drivers to “Turn Your Key, Be Idle Free”! 

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Indoor Air Quality: Protecting Your Indoor Air During Wildfire Season

Wildfire season is here — and even if the flames are far away, the smoke can travel hundreds of miles and leak indoors. Smoke contains fine particles that can harm your lungs, worsen asthma, and make the air inside unhealthy to breathe — even when you can’t see it.

With your portable air purifier and a few simple steps, you can keep your home’s air cleaner and safer all season long.

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Indoor Air Quality: Cooking and Indoor Air Quality

Cooking brings flavor—but also hidden air pollution. Whether you use gas or electric, how you cook impacts the air your family breathes. Even brief cooking sessions can spread pollutants throughout your home (not just the kitchen). But simple changes can greatly enhance your indoor air quality!

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Indoor Air Quality: Staying Asthma (and Allergy) Aware

If you’re not affected by asthma, it’s likely that you have a friend or family member who is. While asthma severity and triggers may differ, there are common indoor culprits that can be helpful to identify and address. Read our guide below to learn how to improve your indoor air quality and make smarter choices around asthma (and allergy) triggers!

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