UPDATE: The information in this post has been updated.
An air quality advisory has been issued for Prince George by Northern Health and the Ministry of Environment.
It took effect Wednesday morning and Air Quality Meteorologist, Gail Roth says the vast majority of these situations are weather related.
“So we have a system moving in that has very cold, stable air so the pollutants that we generate here in the city tend to remain trapped within the surface and until that system moves through we’ll see elevated concentrations.”
The Provincial Ambient Air Quality Objective for particulate matter is 25 micrograms per cubic metre averaged over 24 hours.
Prince George exceeded that number at 25.6 while Vanderhoof recorded a 45.2 figure.
Infants, the elderly, and people with diabetes, lung, or heart disease should try to remain indoors to decrease health risks.
Staying indoors will reduce fine particulate exposure, and Northern Health recommends keeping windows and doors closed, and to reduce indoor sources of pollution such as smoking, and use of wood stoves.