The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air pollution health alert for Rochester and the Twin Cities for today and Saturday.
"As of 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11, pollution control monitors in the Twin Cities and Rochester indicate fine particle levels are approaching a level considered unhealthy for sensitive groups," the MPCA reported.
A good "air quality index" should return by Sunday, when winds will disperse pollutants.
The agency says to carpool, don't allow your vehicle idle, postpone burning wood and reduce energy consumption. People with lung or heart problems, young children, the elderly and people who undertake "activities that require heavy exertion" are most at risk.
Exposure can cause "chest pain, shortness of breath, and coughing and fatigue, even after air quality has improved."
