Air Quality Alert For Nearly All of Minnesota

ST. PAUL -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert for nearly all of Minnesota, except the North Shore. The alert takes effect Wednesday beginning at 10:00 p.m. and runs until Friday at 3:00 p.m.

The affected area includes Detroit Lakes, International Falls, Duluth, St Cloud, the Twin Cities, Marshall, Rochester, and the tribal nations of Fond du Lac, Upper Sioux, Leech Lake, Red Lake, Mille Lacs, and Prairie Island.

Northerly winds behind a cold front will bring smoke from wildfires located north of the Canadian border in Ontario and Manitoba into Minnesota.

There are people who are more likely to be affected when fine particle pollution reaches an unhealthy level.

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Air pollution can aggravate heart and cardiovascular disease as well as lung diseases like asthma and COPD. When the air quality is unhealthy, people with these conditions may experience symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, or fatigue. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, use your inhalers as directed and contact your health care provider.

Everyone should take precautions when the air quality is unhealthy.

• Take it easy and listen to your body.
• Limit, change or postpone your physical activity level.
• If possible, stay away from local sources of air pollution like busy roads and wood fires.
• Keep indoor air as clean as possible. Use indoor air filtration or air conditioning with the fresh-air intake closed/set on recirculate to reduce indoor air pollution.
• If you have asthma or other breathing conditions like COPD make sure you have your relief/rescue inhaler with you.
• People with asthma should review and follow the guidance in their written asthma action plan. Make an appointment to see your health provider if you don’t have an asthma action plan.