Assessing Community Exposure to Ambient Particulate Matter from the Great Salt Lake

Problem: The shrinking Great Salt Lake (GSL) is exposing over 750 square miles of lakebed, some of which contains heavy metals. Prevailing winds transport metal-contaminated dust plumes into Wasatch Front communities, increasing the risk of PM10 exposure. The composition and health impacts of this GSL-originating ambient PM10 are currently poorly understood.
Objective: To quantify community exposure to airborne PM10 originating from the GSL lakebed.
Methodology: A combination of measurements (continuous PM monitoring, particle size distribution, oxidative potential, metal/organic carbon composition), detailed statistical analysis, and wind trajectory modeling (HYSPLIT) will be used.
Support: The work supports the Utah Division of Air Quality’s (UDAQ’s) Goal and Priority #4 – Great Salt Lake Dust: (b) composition measurements and (d) community impact assessments.

Outputs include PM10 oxidative potential, particle size distribution, spatial distribution of PM2.5 and PM10 during dust events, carbonaceous concentrations, and inhaled/deposited PM mass fraction estimates.
Outcomes include improved characterization of PM composition and size evolution, improved assessment of spatial impact, and improved assessment of human exposure.