This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
If you have to be outside Thursday along the Wasatch Front, try to not breathe, deeply, at least.
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality has issued a "red" air quality alert for Salt Lake, Davis, Weber and Cache counties. That means that residents of those regions are banned from burning wood or coal, and motorists are urged to avoid unnecessary driving.
Air quality officials also have issued a "yellow" alert for Utah, Box Elder and Tooele counties. That level of alert is not as serious as a red alert, but residents are being asked to restrict their driving in those counties, too.