Officials issue warning after dangerous dust storm chokes major city: 'The reality is … impacting the air we breathe'

Conservationists are worrying about the health of local residents after a dust storm blew a number of toxins across Salt Lake City.

What's happening?

Earlier this month, ABC4 reported, a dust storm blew from the Great Salt Lake across densely populated areas in Utah, including the capital city. These storms carry toxic metals such as arsenic, lead, and lithium.

The storm was monitored and recorded by Grow the Flow, a nonprofit organization that works to save and protect the Great Salt Lake. Grow the Flow said it needed to monitor the storm because there aren't enough dust monitors along the Great Salt Lake's shores, meaning Utah's air-quality network was unable to track and record it.

Why is this concerning?

Dust storms, and other extreme weather events, have become more common in recent years. As polluting, heat-trapping gases continue to be released into the atmosphere and warm the planet, weather becomes more volatile and less predictable. This leads to an increase of dust storms as well as other events such as hurricanes and tornadoes.

This is particularly concerning in the Great Salt Lake region, as the lake itself is receding. Years of drought have residents worried that it could disappear before 2030.

As the lake recedes, more lakebed is exposed, making the region more prone to dust storms.

These dust storms can cause major health problems, with dust from the area linked to respiratory and cardiovascular ailments along with developmental problems and cancer.

"The reality is that dust storms from more than 1,000 square miles of exposed lake bed are infiltrating our communities and impacting the air we breathe today," Grow the Flow Managing Director Jake Dreyfous said in a news release. 

What's being done to help the Great Salt Lake?

Groups such as Grow the Flow and researchers across the state continue to urge politicians to take actions that could save the Great Salt Lake. If it dries up, they say, not only would toxic dust continue to blow across the region, but local wildlife would also likely be decimated.

For local residents, finding ways to reduce water usage is crucial.

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"We must take proactive steps as individuals and as a state to get more water to Great Salt Lake if we hope to avoid widespread impacts to our health, economy, and ecology in Northern Utah," Dreyfous said.

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