Researcher will go to the lab to study Utah’s bad winter air
Tuesday, July 31, 2007 6:38 PM CDT
LOGAN, Utah (AP) — A Utah State University chemist will use a federal grant to study how emissions from cows and automobiles interact to pollute air in the Cache Valley.
“This has not been looked at before,” said Phil Silva. “We’ve only scratched the surface. We’re just trying to understand the fundamental chemistry.”
Silva will use the money from a National Science Foundation grant to travel to the University of California at Riverside, which has a smog chamber that can analyze the makeup of air pollution.
He also will examine molecular reactions in his lab at Utah State.
“Our results should provide information that will assist county and state officials in coming up with plans about how to address pollution levels,” he said.
In recent winters, Cache Valley has had unhealthy readings of minute particles in the air, which can settle in lungs and cause health problems.
Silva is scheduled to complete his research in a year and share the results with the Bear River Health Department and the state Division of Air Quality.
“Once we understand the causes, we can implement policies and provide information to the public so that everyone can do their part to lower pollution,” he said.
Information from: The Herald Journal, http://www.hjnews.com
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