Yellow and red air days have you feeling blue?

If it seems like every other day comes with an air quality warning from state monitors, you're right. But here's the twist: Much of Utah's air is actually improving.

"That's been a hard concept for some to get," said Bob Dalley, an air monitor manager for the Division of Air Quality.

The twist

For years, the state's air quality has gone up and down with the seasons. Trends show that despite the booming population, air quality has stayed relatively stable. Then two years ago, the federal Environmental Protection Agency toughened up standards and the number of "red," "yellow" or "no drive" air days reported in the media started climbing.

"Air quality is better than it has been," Dalley said. "But because of new requirements with the standards, we're making more yellow and red day calls."

Carbon monoxide levels, most affected by cars on the road, show a steady decline since 1993. Regulated particulate matter has been more up and down but generally averages out. PM is a complex mixture of small particles in the atmosphere, usually caused by combustion from the likes of cars, wildfires or industry.

Not enough?

Travis Anna Harvey, co-founder of Utah Moms for Clean Air, said air may be a little better, but standards still aren't tight enough despite the recent changes.

"The real important point here is not how many red or yellow days, but that our air is still not healthy," Harvey said. "Ideally, there should be no days that I shouldn't allow my kids to go outside."

Harvey would like to see tougher restrictions still, in the hope that they will in turn lead to better air. According to the group's Web site, Salt Lake City, Provo and Logan consistently rank in the top 10 U.S. cities for worst acute spikes in air pollution.

Battling bad air

There are a litany of ways to improve air quality. The Division of Air Quality requires fuel tankers at gas stations to collect vapors while refilling the station's tanks.

"In the olden days, they would fill up a storage tank at a gas station and all those gasses would escape into the atmosphere," Dalley said.

Harvey has a program that is attempting to retrofit old school buses powered by dirty diesel engines with cleaner, newer ones. The moms are also focusing on people who idle in their cars, "a group demographically made up of a lot of mothers," she said.

There are also improvements in vehicle emissions and the ongoing fines against offending businesses.

"We've come a long way," Dalley said, "but we still have a ways to go."

What you can do

The Division of Air Quality offers the following suggestions:

• Carpool.

• Combine errands into one trip.

• Wait to gas up until early evening hours. Don't top off your tank.

• Avoid consumer spray products.

• Rake and/or sweep, rather than blow, leaves and other yard wastes.

• Use a non-charcoal barbecue.

• Telecommute one day a week.

• Wait to paint on low-pollution days.

On the Web: • utahmomsforcleanair.org • www.airquality.utah.gov