Your school nameAir Awareness Week

What is Idling?What is Idling?

Idling is letting an engine run when the vehicle isn’t going anywhere, like when you are:

Waiting to pick someone up at Waiting to pick someone up at school…school…

Waiting at a drive-through Waiting at a drive-through window…window…

Letting the car Letting the car ‘‘warm upwarm up’’ in the in the drivewaydriveway

So, being So, being ‘‘Idle FreeIdle Free’’ means:means:Turning the engine OFF when you won’t be

driving for 10 seconds

or more

Why not idle?Why not idle?Idling is bad for

everyone’s health

Driving warms up an engine faster and better than idling does

Eliminating 5 minutes of idling a day can save $30 to $60 a year

Why not idle?Why not idle?Idling is bad for

everyone’s health

Driving warms up an engine faster and better than idling does

Eliminating 5 minutes of idling a day can save $30 to $60 a year

Why not idle?Why not idle?Idling is bad for

everyone’s health

Driving warms up an engine faster and better than idling does

Eliminating 5 minutes of idling a day can save $30 to $60 a year

Why not idle?Why not idle?Idling is bad for

everyone’s health

Driving warms up an engine faster and better than idling does

Eliminating 5 minutes of idling a day can save $30 to $60 a year

Why not idle?Why not idle?It wastes moneyIt gets you no whereIt’s bad for our lungs

More than More than 50% of 50% of

UtahUtah’’s air s air pollution pollution

comes from comes from vehiclesvehicles

Almost ALL of Our Pollution Almost ALL of Our Pollution Comes From Comes From BurningBurning FuelsFuels

55% cars and trucks

20% large industry17% commercial8% household

ItIt’’s Especially Bad for Kids Especially Bad for Kid’’s s LungsLungs

Children are outside playing more than adults

Children have faster respiratory rates than adults

Children breathe in 20% to 50% more air, and more air pollution, than adults

ItIt’’s Especially Bad for Kids Especially Bad for Kid’’s s LungsLungs

Children are outside playing more than adults

Children have faster respiratory rates than adults

Children breathe in 20% to 50% more air, and more air pollution, than adults

ItIt’’s Especially Bad for Kids Especially Bad for Kid’’s s LungsLungs

Children are outside playing more than adults

Children have faster respiratory rates than adults

Children breathe in 20% to 50% more air, and more air pollution, than adults

Do you know someone with Do you know someone with asthma?asthma?

Over 72,000 Utah kids have Over 72,000 Utah kids have asthmaasthma

about 8% of all Utahns have asthma

Are Asthma and Air Are Asthma and Air Pollution Connected?Pollution Connected?

Air pollution makes asthma worse

Evidence suggests that air pollution can cause asthma.

Asthma is the Asthma is the most common most common chronic illnesschronic illness in children in children

and the cause of and the cause of most most school absencesschool absences..

Different asthma rates Different asthma rates along I-15 corridoralong I-15 corridor

Higher asthma rates along Higher asthma rates along I-15I-15

Utah and national average comparable at 8.5%, though some Utah communities higher rates than average.

Source: Utah Department of

Health

Higher asthma rates along Higher asthma rates along I-15I-15

◦Woods Cross and North Salt Lake – 16.2%

◦Riverdale and South Ogden – 15.8%

◦Salt Lake City – 13%◦South Ogden – 12.9%

Source: Utah Department of Health

WhatWhat’’s going on s going on when the air is when the air is bad?bad?

Sometimes our air is Sometimes our air is clean…clean…

Other days, itOther days, it’’s yucky…s yucky…

What is air pollution?What is air pollution?Air pollution is anything that makes our air dirty or less healthy to breathe.

Where does air pollution Where does air pollution come from?come from?55% cars and

trucks20% large

industry17% commercial8% household

OZONEInvisible!

PM 2.5Tiny particles that

look like a gross blanket over our

valley

Utah has two basic typesUtah has two basic types of air pollution of air pollution

SUMMERTIME WINTERTIME

OZONE is good up high…OZONE is good up high…

……and bad down lowand bad down low

Ozone over-exposure can Ozone over-exposure can cause:cause:

LUNG IRRITATIONWheezingCoughingPain when taking a

deep breathDifficulty breathing

when playing outdoors

Ozone over-exposure can Ozone over-exposure can cause:cause:

LUNG IRRITATIONWheezingCoughingPain when taking a

deep breathDifficulty breathing

when playing outdoors

Ozone over-exposure can Ozone over-exposure can cause:cause:

LUNG IRRITATIONWheezingCoughingPain when taking a

deep breathDifficulty breathing

when playing outdoors

Ozone over-exposure can Ozone over-exposure can cause:cause:

LUNG IRRITATIONWheezingCoughingPain when taking a

deep breathDifficulty breathing

when playing outdoors

Ozone over-exposure can Ozone over-exposure can cause:cause:

LUNG IRRITATIONWheezingCoughingPain when taking a

deep breathMakes it hard to play

outside

Winter time pollution: Winter time pollution: PM 2.5PM 2.5

‘PM’ stands for Particulate Matter

PM 2.5PM 2.5

Includes tiny things like: ◦Soot, from chimneys

◦Exhaust, from tailpipes

◦Dust, from plowing

When you go up a canyon in the When you go up a canyon in the winter, winter,

you can see the PM 2.5 belowyou can see the PM 2.5 below

PM 2.5 is dangerous PM 2.5 is dangerous because because

it is it is veryvery small smallPM 2.5 is so

small, it can pass through our lungs, into our blood

This is why school kids have to stay in on “Red Air Days”

One of these tiny dots is the size of

PM 2.5, compared to a

dust particle and human hair

WHAT CAN WE DO TO WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP?HELP?

Protect our healthProtect our healthMake less Make less

pollutionpollution

Remember Remember that a lot of that a lot of UtahUtah’’s air s air pollution pollution

comes from comes from vehicles?vehicles?

Help remind drivers to idle less

If the car isnIf the car isn’’t moving for how t moving for how long?long?

_____ seconds

If the car isnIf the car isn’’t moving for how t moving for how long?long?

Ten seconds of idling uses more gas than

turning off and restarting the car

10 seconds

What can we do to help?What can we do to help?If possible,

◦Carpool◦Ride a bike◦Walk to school

Don’t drive, or drive less, especially on bad air days

What can we do to help?What can we do to help?

Use less energy

Turn things off when they’re not in use

Most of Utah’s power comes from

coal fired power plants

What can we do to help?What can we do to help?Know what the air is now:

www.airquality.utah.gov

What can we do to help?What can we do to help?

Ask your parents and teacher to sign up for air quality alerts by

email at the same website: www.airquality.utah.gov

What can we do to help?What can we do to help?With your class or family, make a plan

for how you’ll protect your health and our air on bad air days at: www.

breatheutah.org/emergency-plan

You can make a differenceYou can make a difference• Remind drivers to be Idle Free• Carpool• Walk• Bike• Don’t go when the air is bad• Turn things off when not using• Check the air at airquality.utah.gov• Get emails when the air is bad• Then use your plan from breatheutah.org

www.breatheutah.orgwww.breatheutah.org