Summer’s Here – and So is the Ozone

(Salt Lake City, UT) – The Utah Departments of Health (UDOH) and Environmental Quality (DEQ) have developed resources and recommendations for outdoor physical activity in the summertime to help avoid unhealthy exposure to ozone air pollution.

Ozone is created by the sun’s heat and light acting upon gases and pollution in the atmosphere. Ozone levels change throughout the day and are generally highest in the afternoon hours.

Exposure to high summer ozone levels can cause coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness, worsen allergy and asthma symptoms, and irritate the eyes, nose and throat. The severity of symptoms can vary depending on a person’s sensitivity to ozone, and can be felt immediately or as late as one or more days after exposure. People with heart and lung conditions, children, seniors, and people who work or exercise outdoors can be more sensitive to ozone.

 

“The most serious effects of ozone air pollution come from heavy or prolonged breathing of outdoor air when ozone levels are above the federal standard of .075 ppm,” said DEQ toxicologist Steve Packham, Ph.D. “It is important to check current ozone levels before outdoor activities, and especially before exercising outdoors.”

 

DEQ provides hourly ozone level updates on its website at www.airquality.utah.gov.

 

The agencies have developed materials to help Utahns assess their sensitivity to ozone. Available online, they include Recommendations for Outdoor Physical Activity During Ozone Season (May – September), and an ozone tracking tool. The ozone tool can be used to track outdoor activities, ozone levels, and symptoms experienced.

“By monitoring ozone levels and the symptoms you experience during outdoor activities, you can determine what level of ozone you are sensitive to,” said Kellie Baxter, UDOH Asthma Program. “This will help you plan your day and decide when to move your activities indoors to reduce your exposure.”

 

Video tutorials are available online to help Utahns assess their sensitivity to ozone using the ozone tracking tool. 

To help Utahns plan outdoor activities during ozone season, UDOH and DEQ guidelines recommend:
• The best time for outdoor summer physical activity is before noon or after 6:00 p.m.
• If you are physically active between noon and 6:00 pm:
o Consider light to moderate activity (e.g., walking instead of running).
o Consider indoor activities.
• Discuss physical activities with your doctor, especially if you have lung disease or a heart condition.

 

A copy of the physical activity recommendations, ozone air quality fact sheets, ozone tracking sheet, and video tutorials are available at www.health.utah.gov/asthma or by calling the UDOH Health Resource Line at 1-888-222-2542.

 

Media Contacts:Kellie Baxter
(o) 801-538-6441 (m) 801-376-6032
Utah Department of Health
Donna Kemp Spangler
801-536-4484
Utah Dept. of Environmental Quality

New Survey Methodology Changes Uninsured, Smoking Rates

(Salt Lake City, UT) – New methodology used to conduct the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey, one of Utah’s most important sources of public health population data, has resulted in changes to Utah’s uninsured and smoking rates. The survey now includes interviews conducted by cellular telephone in addition to landline phones, and has also adopted a new weighting methodology.

As a result, the BRFSS now estimates 368,200 Utahns between the ages of 18-64, or 21.5 percent of this population, did not have health insurance in 2010. Under the old methodology, the estimate for this same population was 247,100 uninsured 18- to 64-year-olds, or 14.4 percent of that population.

Another health indicator impacted by the new methodology is Utah’s adult smoking rate. The new BRFSS estimates 220,000 Utah adults, or 11.2 percent of this population are smokers. The old methodology put the estimate on adult smokers at 175,000, or 8.8 percent of the adult population. This improved accuracy is critical for preventing tobacco use and providing services to those who want to quit.

Including cell phone users in the survey accounts for the increasing number of Utah households without landline phones, and also addresses an under-representation of males, adults with less formal education or lower household income, and racial and ethnic minorities.

However, the UDOH and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which oversees the survey, are quick to caution against misinterpretation of the changes in estimates that may result from the new survey design.

“It’s important to realize that shifts in prevalence estimates for 2011 might not represent actual changes in trends in risk factor prevalence in the population, but instead the changes may simply reflect improved methods of measuring these risk factors,” said Michael Friedrichs, UDOH Bureau of Health Promotion Epidemiologist.

In the coming months, the UDOH will be evaluating the effects of these changes on other public health indicators and publishing updated estimates online and in printed reports.

“Having more accurate data will allow us and our partners throughout the state to better target our efforts to help make Utah the healthiest state,” said UDOH Executive Director Dr. David Patton.

The BRFSS is a household health survey overseen by the CDC and conducted by individual state health departments. For more information on these methodology changes, please visit http://health.utah.gov/opha/publications/hsu/1206_BRFSSCell.pdf. The CDC also released a report outlining the changes to the BRFSS and showing their effect on national level estimates of some health indicators. The report can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6122a3.htm?s_cid=mm6122a3_w.

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Media Contact:

Michael Friedrichs
Utah Department of Health
801-538-6244

Two Hantavirus-related Deaths in Utah

(Salt Lake City, UT)  – Utah public health officials have confirmed two deaths as a result of hantavirus exposure.  The deaths occurred in Millard County and in Salt Lake County as a result of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a rare, but deadly, lung disease. 

HPS is spread by breathing in dust around rodent-infested areas that contain hantavirus, and is not spread from person-to-person. This can happen when rodent urine and droppings that contain hantavirus become airborne. The average age of known cases is 35 years with an age range of 11 to 69 years.  No ethnic group appears to be more at risk than another.

Activities that can put people at risk include:

•  Improperly cleaning up mouse and rat urine, droppings and nests.

•  Cleaning a shed or cabin that has been closed for some time.

•  Working in areas where mice and rats may live (such as barns).

Although HPS is rare, infection can be prevented by avoiding contact with rodents and their droppings.  Try to avoid any activities that might stir up dust around rodent-infested areas.

To safely clean up rodent urine and droppings, wear a mask, glasses, and rubber or plastic gloves. Get the urine and droppings very wet with disinfectant or a mixture of bleach and water.  Allow to soak for five minutes.  Use a paper towel to wipe up urine or droppings and throw the towel into the garbage. Mop the area with disinfectant or a bleach solution. 

When  finished, wash gloved hands with soap and water or spray a disinfectant or bleach solution on the gloves before taking them off.  Wash hands with soap and warm water after removing the gloves. 

The recommended cleaning solution is a mixture of 1½ cups household bleach and 1 gallon of water.  A smaller amount can be made with one part bleach and 10 parts water. 

Hantavirus symptoms generally begin with a fever greater than 100.5° F, muscle aches, and chills.  Other common symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and headache.  Less common symptoms are dizziness or a light-headed feeling, sweating, and joint, back, chest, or abdominal pain. If you experience symptoms, contact your medical provider immediately. 

Media Contact:
Rebecca Ward
Media Coordinator
(801) 538-6822 (o)
(801) 647-5421 (m)