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Salt Lake’s ozone problem is worsening despite air cleanup efforts, and Rep. Ben McAdams wants to know why

The Salt Lake City area has made strides in cleaning up the airborne particulate matter that cloaks the valley during winter inversions and has kept these pollution levels within federal limits in recent years.

At the same time, ozone, an invisible gas that irritates the lungs and airways, has continued to plague the region.

U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams is trying to figure out why and what to do about it.

“We’re scratching our heads to ask ourselves why ... ground-level ozone might be rising as we are doing a better job of limiting pollutants,” McAdams, D-Utah, said during a Friday news conference at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.