Research explores dangers of inhaling dust from the Great Salt Lake

SALT LAKE CITY — New research from the University of Utah is looking into how dangerous it can be to inhale dust from dried-up areas of the Great Salt Lake.

Researchers found that dust from the Great Salt Lake interacts with the cells in your lungs, causing damage.

“Our study was just looking at the bioavailability of the dust to find out how likely it is to interact with your body and what the likelihood is that it can actually cause harm,” Professor of Atmospheric Sciences Kevin Perry said.

Perry said the next step is to work with medical researchers. This will then help to tell which health effects would happen with different concentrations of dust in the air.

Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering Kerry Kelly said that long exposure to the dust can worsen conditions like asthma, COPD and other health risks.

“Over the long term, these can lead to adverse cardio raspatory effects like increased risk of heart attack and stroke,” Kelly said.

Kelly and Perry also said the more lakebed that’s exposed, the more dust can be picked up by the wind for people in the area to inhale.

It’s important to stay inside on days when pollution levels are high. According to researchers, this is to avoid breathing in dust coming from the lake on those particular days.

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