High air quality health indices are likely to continue for the Cariboo.
Air quality meterologist with the BC Ministry of Enviroment, Ralph Adams says there are only two things thing that can stop the high air quality health indices that we’re currently experiencing.
“One we get weather which enables the Wildfire Branch to put out the fires to reduce the smoke remissions or else we get weather conditions that carry the smoke away,” he explained.
“The situation at the moment is there’s so many fires that almost wherever the wind blows from there’s likely to be more smoke.”
Adams says currently they do not see such a change in the weather anytime soon and that all of the Interior air stations from Prince George south between the Coastal Mountains and the Rockies are experiencing unusually high values.
Williams Lake according to Adams was running at 113 micrograms per cubic meter Wednesday afternoon whereas the normal summer values without forest fires would be in the 5 to 15 range.
“Most of the time we’ve been running in the range of 50 to 150 or 200 micrograms per cubic meter over the last two weeks,” Adams said.
“Last year we were frequently getting into the 700 or 800 range.”
Adams advises people to stay inside if they are experiencing breathing difficulties and to also look out for symptoms for people they are looking who are more likely to experience health effects from smoke exposure.
For general information about wildfire smoke and your health, contact HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 (toll free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).