stoptothink wrote: ↑Thu May 18, 2023 2:30 pm
smitcat wrote: ↑Thu May 18, 2023 12:07 pm
stoptothink wrote: ↑Thu May 18, 2023 11:16 am
smitcat wrote: ↑Thu May 18, 2023 7:27 am
stoptothink wrote: ↑Thu May 18, 2023 6:19 am
OK. Based on that article Utah overall is 10th worst for ozone and 19th worst for particle pollution (out of 50 states). Not ideal, but certainly not bad enough to where it would be a consideration
for us. I've lived here for close to half of my life now, my 60yr old parents live here, my wife's 95yr old grandparents have lived here their entire lives - no issues whatsoever with it. There are a lot of reasons someone may not like Utah (and there are pros and cons to every place), while we are aware that the air quality here isn't the best, this is one reason I have never hear is a significant factor.
That article is a very small and limited view of a very large topic. It is not so important what 'rating' Utah has in total versus other areas but what rating the area have where people tend to live in higher populations. Problems which include reoccurring air safety issues due to inversions are rising in frequency in the populated areas.
Similarly, the fact that folks may not be affected now (or not know) will not prevent them from being affected in the future for two reasons. The first is that as kids and/or adults age they can move from being unaffected to affected. The second is that being within an environment such as these can accelerate or cause some of these conditions.
Last I heard there were more than 35 million people in the US which would/could be greatly affected by air quality, that number has been rising.
You seem to have air quality way up on your list of priorities when deciding where to live. That's your prerogative, but looking at this thread, it doesn't appear as if it is primary consideration for OP or others responding. Therefore, I fail to see how your point about air quality and Utah is relevant.
We live in Utah, the air quality here is objectively below average nationally, but that has never been an issue for us and it is not something OP mentioned (not that I am saying they should consider Utah - I think California, if it is their style, is the obvious answer)....The end.
"but looking at this thread, it doesn't appear as if it is primary consideration for OP or others responding. Therefore, I fail to see how your point about air quality and Utah is relevant."
That is exactly the purpose of threads like these - to discover something new that you have not thought about. Learning about something new is never a bad thing.
"You seem to have air quality way up on your list of priorities when deciding where to live."
Would you consider the quality of air to be a low priority in general?
Do I think it has an actual impact on my daily life? No. I've spent all but 5yrs of my life in states which are ranked #1, #2, and #3 for
worst overall air quality in the country (California, Arizona, and Utah) and it has never been a consideration nor have I ever really noticed that it is an issue, and I am significantly more physically active than the average person. I grew up in LA, which has among the worst air quality of any metro area in the country (far worse than my current area); nonetheless ~12M people choose to live in the LA metro area and it has been brought up multiple times in this thread as an option.
This shouldn't come as a shock, but one of the factors in air quality is population density. Air quality tends to be the worst where people want to live the most. I respect that it is a significant factor for you, but it does not appear to be for a lot of other people
in the U.S.. If this was a discussion about moving to China or India, that may be different.
OP, if air quality is one of your primary concerns, I'd cross California, Arizona, D.C. area, Utah, Nevada, Illinois, Colorado, etc. off your list.
https://wisevoter.com/state-rankings/ai ... -by-state/
Many articles on this subject - here is a simple summary of one...
"Overall Health Effects
Even healthy people can experience health impacts from polluted air including respiratory irritation or breathing difficulties during exercise or outdoor activities. Your actual risk of adverse effects depends on your current health status, the pollutant type and concentration, and the length of your exposure to the polluted air.
High air pollution levels can cause immediate health problems including:
Aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory illness
Added stress to heart and lungs, which must work harder to supply the body with oxygen
Damaged cells in the respiratory system
Long-term exposure to polluted air can have permanent health effects such as:
Accelerated aging of the lungs
Loss of lung capacity and decreased lung function
Development of diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and possibly cancer
Shortened life span
Those most susceptible to severe health problems from air pollution are:
Individuals with heart disease, coronary artery disease or congestive heart failure
Individuals with lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Pregnant women
Outdoor workers
Older adults and the elderly
Children under age 14
Athletes who exercise vigorously outdoors
People in these groups may experience health impacts at lower air pollution exposure levels, or their health effects may be of greater intensity."
Here is the link...
https://www.sparetheair.com/health.cfm