By Bernadette H. Carreon
Horizon news staff

The Bureau of Public Health advised the public with underlying lung condition on Wednesday to take precaution due to the light smog and haze over Palau.
The Palau National Weather Service said that due to the recent change in wind flow pattern across the North Pacific East of Japan.
Due to the small size of aerosol particles in the trapped pollutants in the smog may induce asthma attacks and exacerbate lung conditions for those who have underlying lung diseases.
The BPH said that the change in wind flow has been "unusually favorable in bringing winter-time Asian smog across Northern Japan and Southward into the area."
The advisory further said that a combination of winter-time soot from Asia and high pressure over Korea and Japan combined with a deep low pressure system East of Japan has helped create a persistent North to South flow that typically affects the local area once or twice a year in the later winter and early spring.
The report said that the smog lingers in the area because of the temperature inversion which helps trap pollution close to the ground coupled with the light trade winds.
It added that the winds are expected to pick up from the east by Thursday.
He said that these winds should push the smog and haze out of the area Thursday night or early Friday.
The BPH said that for those who have lung conditions they should follow their medication schedules; see the doctor when they start having troubles with breathing; clean the filter of air conditioning unit and do not put a fan directly to your face.
The BPH also asked the public to remove the connection to the water tank catchments so that the water from the first rainfall which may contain sediments from the smog so that it will not get into the drinking water.