Cold air should clear away bad air

Residents of southern Minnesota will be able to breathe a bit easier today once a cold front sweeps polluted air out of the area.

Star Tribune

Last update: November 20, 2007 - 12:12 AM

Residents of southern Minnesota will be able to breathe a bit easier today once a cold front sweeps polluted air out of the area.

State pollution control officials had issued an air pollution advisory Monday when high humidity and foggy conditions allowed fine particles from car exhaust and other sources to accumulate. The fine particles, as small as one-fiftieth the width of a human hair, can enter the lungs and cause breathing difficulties, especially for the elderly and those with heart or lung disease, including asthma.

Air quality reached the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" status in Rochester and the Twin Cities on Monday afternoon.

"Clean, cold Canadian air is coming, and will basically push this air mass right out of Minnesota by late Monday or early Tuesday morning," said Rick Strassman, supervisor of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's air monitoring unit.

TOM MEERSMAN