The U.S. EPA has given Utah three years to reduce ozone pollution on the Wasatch Front and parts of the Uinta Basin or regulators will be forced to draft a plan to regulate activities that create this pollution. While stratospheric ozone blocks harmful ultraviolet rays (a good thing), ground-level ozone causes lung damage and can aggravate asthma.
Ozone is a summer air pollution problem that occurs when vehicle and industrial emissions react with heat. Wildfires increase ozone levels. Commonly available air pollution masks are designed to filter particulates and do not protect against ozone and other gaseous pollutants.
MesoWest Utah Air Quality Observations: meso2.chpc.utah.edu/aq