Dust from the Great Salt Lake is a major health hazard [Video]

Editor’s note: This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Legislature provided funding for increased dust monitoring in 2023.

As the Great Salt Lake shrinks, dust from its lakebeds impacts the air that millions on the Wasatch Front breathe.

That dust contains fine particulate matter that can cause lung irritation, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal problems and cancer. But because of a gap in monitoring, researchers don’t yet know how bad the problem actually is — even though the state has provided funding to find out.

Related: Great Salt Lake’s exposed lakebed is contributing to global warming, study says

“People always ask me, ‘How often are these dust events?’ I don’t know,” said Kevin Perry, an expert on Great Salt Lake dust. “‘Are they getting worse?’ I don’t know. ‘Are they causing a health …