21st November, 2014 12:00–Kamloops. The Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the Interior Health Authority has ended the air quality advisory issued yesterday for Grand Forks due to improving air quality that has resulted from improving weather conditions.
MEDIA RELEASE
Tips to reduce your personal health risk.
Avoid roads with heavy vehicle traffic and areas with wood smoke.
Continue to control medical conditions such as asthma, chronic respiratory disease and heart failure. If symptoms continue to be bothersome, seek medical attention.
Maintaining good overall health is a good way to reduce health risks resulting from short-term exposure to air pollution.
Additional tips for those with chronic underlying medical conditions:
Stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed and reduce indoor sources of pollution such as smoking, vacuuming and use of wood stoves.
Run an air cleaner. Some room air cleaners, such as HEPA filters, can help reduce indoor particulate levels provided they are the right size for your home and filters are changed regularly.
Take shelter in air-conditioned buildings which have large indoor volumes and limited entry of outdoor air.
Additional Information
Fine particulate (PM2.5) concentrations currently exceed the provincial air quality objective of 25 micrograms per cubic metre, averaged over 24 hours.
AIR QUALITY ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR GRAND FORKS
(August 20, 2014 12:00 – Cranbrook). The Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the Interior Health Authority has issued an Air Quality Advisory for Grand Forks because of high concentrations of fine particulates that are expected to continue for the next 24 hours. This advisory will be updated tomorrow.
Persons with chronic underlying medical conditions should postpone strenuous exercise until the advisory is lifted. Staying indoors and in air conditioned spaces helps to reduce fine particulate exposure. Exposure is particularly a concern for infants, the elderly and those who have diabetes, and lung or heart disease.
For more information on current air quality, see: www.bcairquality.ca.
Sources of fine particulates contributing to this air quality episode include wood smoke (wood stoves and/or open burning) as well as emissions from industry and transportation sources such as automobiles, trucks and rail traffic.
This episode is expected to continue until there is a change in the current weather system.
Real-time air quality information for Grand Forks and other B.C. communities can be found at: www.bcairquality.ca.