This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Summer is here, and with it has come the first red air-quality alert for Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties. It should be nice to finally get outside and enjoy summer weather, but for many people, it isn't nice, it's dangerous.

That's because summer has become ozone season along the Wasatch Front, when vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, chemical fumes and wildfire smoke all cook in high-90s heat and create air that's not safe for people with respiratory or heart problems, the very young or the elderly. Our only defense against this invisible threat is staying indoors and driving less.

We're likely to be warned about unhealthy ozone levels more often this summer than ever before, both because we have more vehicle emissions and because new, more stringent federal standards will label more days as dangerous.

Some doctors and others rightly say that federally acceptable levels of ozone are still too high. Utah Physicians for Clean Air and Utah Moms for Clean Air have pointed out that breathing Wasatch Front air during high-pollution days is as bad for the lungs as smoking, and even worse for people with asthma and other respiratory, lung and heart ailments.

Recent research shows such ozone-laden air can cause permanent lung damage and even premature death. In fact, studies show that 1,000 Utahns are dying prematurely each year from the effects of winter inversions and summer smog.

Despite the danger, Utah environmental officials say Utah will have no trouble meeting the Environmental Protection Agency's new limit of 75 parts per billion of ozone. They cite cleaner diesel and gasoline, higher vehicle mileage requirements and pollution limits on industry. But what may turn out to be our best ally in fighting ozone is $4-plus fuel prices that are prompting Utah motorists to drive less and buy more fuel-efficient cars.

Nevertheless, the standard is too lenient. The EPA's own experts suggested maximum ozone levels be reduced to between 60 and 70 parts per billion. But after President Bush was lobbied by industry groups whose bottom lines were at risk, the EPA settled on the higher number.

So it's up to us to take steps to clean up the air, beyond what the government requires. Ozone season should also be the season for taking public transportation and leaving the car at home as much as possible. Our health depends on it.

Studies show that 1,000 Utahns are dying prematurely each year from the effects of winter inversions and summer smog.