Wildfire smoke moves back in, Salt Lake City ranks worst air quality in the world

Salt Lake City, Utah — According to IQAir, which monitors air quality around the world shows Salt Lake City in the number one position for worst air quality on Monday morning.

The World AQI ranking for major metro areas Monday morning was:
1. Salt Lake City
2. Santiago, Chile
3. Dhaka, Bangladesh
4. Lahore, Pakistan
5. Dubai, UAE
6. Wuhan, China
7. Kuwait City, Kuwait

According to an ER doctor at Ogden Regional Medical Center, ORMC has seen increased numbers of asthmatics and COPD patients come in over the past week. They all commented the air has made their conditions worse. They added that they’ve also seen post-COVID patients complaining of the same issue.

Moisture will move back in tomorrow and bring showery and cooler weather for the middle of the week. Much needed rain will also knock a lot of smoke out of the air and bring better air quality.

According to Salt Lake Fire Emergency Management, there are some things you can do during periods of bad air quality:
• Keep windows and doors closed
• Close the fresh air intake vent on window AC units
• Consider buying an indoor air purifier
• Use N95 masks
• Avoid being too active