Eleven percent of Utahns think their own or their children's health is damaged by air pollution, according to two surveys carried out by the University of Utah.
The U.'s Survey Research Center checked Utahns' attitudes twice, in October 1989 and then in January this year. The group polled 446 residents the first time around, and 334 on the next sweep.During January, almost 90 percent of Utahns noticed some air pollution, and 43 percent saw it daily or nearly every day, according to the survey. At the same time, about 50 percent of Utahns were bothered by air pollution.
The impacts were less noticeable in October, however.
In October, 7.2 percent agreed with the statement, "I have physical health problems, or my children have physical health problems I believe to be affected by the air pollution in my community."
That figure went up to 10.8 percent in January, when weather inversions frequently trap air pollution in Utah's cities.
"As expected, urban residents noticed more pollution than people in rural areas," said Lois M. Haggard, Survey Research Center director.
"In the January survey, only 4.3 percent of southern Utah residents claimed to have noticed pollution daily or almost daily, while scores for Weber, Davis, Salt Lake and Utah county residents on the same question ranged from about 40 to 52 percent, depending on the county."