Air Quality Advisory Continues

Saturday, January 27, 2007 11:30 AM

A fine line between haze and blue sky to the east of the City

The Ministry of Environment says an Air Quality Advisory first put in place yesterday afternoon will continue for the next 24-hours.

The Ministry says, based on air quality data, the high levels appear to be predominantly due to combustion sources to the northeast of downtown, with some contribution due to dust. Light winds and clear skies over the area resulted in pollutants being trapped in the airshed.

Twenty-four hour PM₁₀ levels were 54 Downtown, 66 at College Heights and 63 at the BCR site at 10:00 a.m. this morning

Levels of PM_2.5, which are the finer particles associated with combustion sources, were 23 Downtown, and 25 in College Heights.

It was just this past Monday evening that members of the "People’s Action Committee for Healthy Air" (or PACHA)appeared in City Council chambers to push for designating the City’s airshed "sensitive." (see previous story)

Councillors have asked City Staff to report back on that notion and three other suggestions from PACHA, including a review of the Clean Air bylaw.

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Posted on Saturday, January 27, 2007 11:30 AM in Health by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: active on January 27 2007 2:48 PM

we the public need to track these pm2.5 levels now that ministry of environment is including them. this advisory coming from combustion sources in northeast and what, pray tell is in the northeast?

Posted by: charles on January 27 2007 7:17 PM

I would like to salute the 6 founding members of PACHA for getting this organization going. A lot of us here in Prince George have been concerned about our "dirty little secret" for many years now, but were just too apathetic to do anything about it. I bet the membership numbers of PACHA spike upwards as a result of Prince George's really bad air quality these past 2 days. I am not in favor of closing down any of Prince George's major polluting industries, but I am in favor of imposing a moratorium on any new industries which would worsen our already terrible air quality. Being close to the top of the list of Canada's cities with the worst air quality means we have a serious problem on our hands. It really puzzles me why Mayor Kinsley is opposed to the word moratorium. I think PACHA will have an influence on the next Prince George civic election.
All we need now is a peoples' action committee on responsible use of taxpayers dollars.