Air Pollution Prompts Advisory: MPCA Says Airborne Soot Could Linger
Posted on: Thursday, 9 March 2006, 18:00 CST
By Dennis Lien, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
Mar. 9--An air-pollution health advisory was issued for the Twin Cities on Wednesday, and it could continue into the weekend.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reported levels of airborne soot approaching a threshold considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, including active children or adults with respiratory problems such as asthma. The soot, a product of car exhaust, power plants, wood stoves and other combustion sources, is extremely small and can be breathed deep into the lungs.
The pollution is part of a large band of dirty air extending from Minnesota to the East Coast.
MPCA spokesman Mark Sulzbach said the advisory should remain in effect through today. Because no breezes are expected, he said the dirty air could remain in the area through the weekend.
The situation was made worse by high moisture levels, which encourage the formation of particles, Sulzbach said.
By late afternoon Wednesday, the Air Quality Index had reached 97 and was moving toward 101, the level at which an alert could be called.
"This isn't a huge number, but we haven't had an advisory for quite a while, and we want to remind people to take it easy," Sulzbach said.
Light to moderate winds today should bring drier air into the region, reducing particle formation. But those same winds also will push pollutants back into the area, keeping AQI levels relatively high.
To reduce air pollution, people can take a number of steps, such as driving less and postponing fires in wood stoves or outdoors. To monitor pollution levels, visit: http://aqi.pca.state.mn.us/hourly/.
Dennis Lien can be reached at dlien@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5588.
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Copyright (c) 2006, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
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Source: Saint Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.)
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