Evidence and Artifacts:

Particle Matter 2.5

August 31, 2010 - January 11, 2011

The photos in this exhibition are part of USU professor Christopher M. Gauthiér’s series, Evidence and Artifacts: Particle Matter 2.5 which explores the air quality in Cache Valley. Gauthiér’s photographs were made in the midst of ice, fog, and inversion, a natural and man-made regional weather phenomenon in which beauty and toxicity combine. "Development, manufacturing, transportation, pollution, and agriculture all contribute to the growing problem of air quality," Gauthiér said. Through his photography, Gauthiér documents both the cause and effect of the growing air pollution problem in Cache Valley during the coldest days of the year, giving special attention to the issue of particulate matter.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines particulate matter, also known as particle pollution or PM, as a mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets. And, the EPA continues, the size of particles is directly linked to their potential for causing health problems. Exposure to such particles can affect both the lungs and heart. Small particles less than 10 micrometers in diameter pose the greatest problems because they can get deep into lungs, and some even into the bloodstream, according to the EPA website.