While Vernon is now free from an air quality advisory issued Friday, air quality concerns persist in Lavington as of Tuesday morning.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change ended Vernon’s notice Sunday, Nov. 11 shortly before 11 a.m. as fine particulate concentrations have been decreasing. Current measurements indicate 14 micrograms per cubic metre, compared to the average of 23 Saturday.
However, the Ministry urges caution for Lavington residents as that station indicates an hourly average of 58 micrograms of fine particulate concentrations per cubic metre.
Related: Air quality advisory continues in Vernon, Lavington
“Persons with chronic underlying medical conditions should postpone strenuous exercise until the advisory is lifted,” the Ministry said in a release. “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.”
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 persons 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 that have large indoor volumes and limited entry of outdoor air.
Voluntary emission reduction actions:
* Avoid the use of wood stoves and fireplaces unless the sole source of residential heat.
* Where wood stoves or fireplaces are the sole source of residential heat, use only CSA/EPA emissions approved wood-burning appliances and well-cured wood, and ensure an adequate supply of combustion air.
* Follow local backyard burning bylaws.
* Avoid backyard burning where a bylaw does not exist.
* Reduce the use and idling of vehicles.
Additional information:
Fine particulate (PM2.5) concentrations are currently above advisory levels. Latest PM2.5 measurements at the Lavington station indicate an hourly average of 58 micrograms per cubic metre. The average for the past 24 hours is 26 micrograms per cubic metre, which exceeds the provincial air quality objective of 25 micrograms per cubic metre.
Sources of fine particulates contributing to this air quality episode include wood smoke (wood stoves and/or open burning), emissions from industry as well as transportation (such as automobiles, trucks and rail traffic).
Real-time air quality information from Lavington and other B.C. communities can be found at https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environmental/air-land-water/air
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