This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Each year, in the middle of winter, residents of the Salt Lake Valley face the undeniable truth of unhealthy air. When high pressure systems drift toward the Wasatch Front, pollution is trapped underneath a clean blanket of warm air, causing black, carbon–filled smog to fill the lungs of each of our valley's precious residents.

In my sophomore year at Realms of Inquiry high school, I took a trip to Vietnam, a country whose capital city is constantly polluted beyond the maximum standards of Utah. Many of the city's locals would walk around town with face masks — in an attempt to minimize the intake of pollutants into their lungs. There would be street vendors advertising their plethora of face masks for sale, with creative and colorful designs on them. Although seldom seen in the states, these masks can reduce pollution intake by a sizable factor.

I believe it would behoove inhabitants of the Salt Lake Valley to protect their lungs in such an easy and portable way. Yes, climate change is a large growing issue that this won't solve, but we must not forget that our health should be first priority.

Brady Scott

Bountiful