Update: A dust advisory issued for Quesnel on Thursday has ended.
Original Story: Dust Advisory in Effect for Quesnel
An air quality advisory has been issued for Quesnel due to road dust.
Air quality meteorologist Ralph Adams says that the advisory is in effect until further notice.
“I expect that these levels will continue until either all of the dust is picked up which takes a lot of time because of the amount that was put down this winter or the weather changes,” he says.
“The forecast for Quesnel is that precipitation is likely later today. If that precipitation materializes the values will probably drop very rapidly, however as soon as the roads dry out again we will expect to see that dust level come up. This is a perfectly normal occurrence in spring; this happens every year during the period when the roads start to dry out and before the traction material is being picked up by City crews.”
Exposure to dust is particularly a concern for infants, the elderly and those who have diabetes, and lung or heart disease. Persons with chronic underlying medical conditions should postpone strenuous exercise near busy roads until the advisory is lifted.
“The values in Quesnel have been fluctuating very widely over the last few days and the trend seems to be that they go up overnight and into the early morning, and then they drop through the day,” says Adams.
“That’s slightly unusual that normally it starts in the morning and there’s a repeat in the afternoon due to traffic. What we’re probably looking at is all of the sweeping and traffic on the highway with the trucks.”
Real-time air quality information from Quesnel and other B.C. communities can be found
at: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/air.
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