Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Brings Unhealthy Air to Large Swaths of the Midwest
Air quality alerts were in effect in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, as well as eastern Nebraska and parts of Indiana and Illinois. Forecasters said the smoky skies would remain for much of the day. People with lung disease, heart disease, children, older adults and pregnant women are most susceptible to the poor breathing conditions.
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Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Millions Urged To Avoid Driving
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Millions of Americans have been urged to avoid driving amid concerns over high air pollution levels. Air quality alerts were issued across parts of Illinois, Colorado, Wyoming, and Arizona on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The warnings mean ground-level ozone and particulate concentrations are forecast to reach dangerous levels. In some areas, the pollution comes from drifting wildfire smoke. Why It Matters The NWS warned that both sensitive groups—such as children, seniors, and individuals with preexisting respiratory or heart conditions—and the general public might experience health effects linked to poor air quality in the affected regions. "Increasing likelihood of respiratory symptoms in sensitive individuals, aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in people with cardiopulmonary disease and older adults," the NWS said in its alert. "People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion." Haze from a Canadian wildfire blankets the Chicago area in July. Haze from a Canadian wildfire blankets the Chicago area in July. Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times/AP What To Know In Colorado, an Action Day for Multiple Pollutants has been issued for Thursday until 4 p.m. MT for the Front Range Urban Corridor, covering cities including Denver and Boulder. "Hot weather and incoming wildfire smoke will allow particulate matter and ozone to reach the unhealthy [level] for sensitive groups category on Wednesday and Thursday," the NWS said. "If possible, please help us reduce ozone pollution by limiting driving gas and diesel-powered vehicles until at least 4 p.m." In Arizona, an ozone high pollution advisory has been issued for the Phoenix Metro Area. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) said in the NWS alert notice: "You are urged to car pool, telecommute or use mass transit. The use of gasoline-powered equipment should be reduced or done late in the day." In Illinois, an Air Pollution Action Day has been issued for the greater Chicago Metropolitan Area until midnight. This means that ozone and particulate levels are expected to be at or above the level that poses health risks to sensitive groups. "Active children and adults, especially people with pulmonary or respiratory disease such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor activity," the NWS said. In Wyoming, an air quality alert for wildfire smoke has been issued for portions of the southeast, including the cities of Laramie and Cheyenne, until noon. What People Are Saying The ADEQ said in the NWS alert notice: "Ozone is an air contaminant which can cause breathing difficulties for children, older adults, as well as persons with respiratory problems. A decrease in physical activity is recommended." The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said: "If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your neighborhood you may want to remain indoors. This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young, and older adults. "Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present. Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is making you ill. If visibility is less than five miles in smoke in your neighborhood, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy." Jonathan Grigg, a professor of pediatric respiratory and environmental medicine at Queen Mary University of London, previously told Newsweek that there are "very clear links" between inhaling particles and earlier death from both respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. He added: "There are vulnerable groups and classically they are children because they've got an extra issue to do with their lungs developing, whereas our lungs are not developing as adults." What Happens Next The air quality alerts are currently set to remain in force until Thursday afternoon and evening. Regular updates regarding air pollution levels are issued on the NWS website and on the Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow interactive map.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Burning eyes, scratchy throats: Canadian wildfire smoke is making Americans miserable
Peggy Goodwin typically likes to spend as much time outside as possible in the too-short Michigan summers, riding her bike or taking a walk. But Goodwin, and the residents of the assisted living facility where she works, have been spending more time indoors lately as smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada drifts across the border. Goodwin said the skies have turned hazy, the smell of barbecue lingers in the air, and her eyes burn and water if she's outside too long. "It's just not pleasant," she said. Canadian wildfire smoke has worsened air quality in many parts of the United States, putting a damper on Americans' summer plans and raising health concerns, particularly for vulnerable groups like children, older adults and those with respiratory conditions. The smoke can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and contain particulate matter small enough to be inhaled. The National Weather Service has issued air quality alerts in states including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. See map: Smoke from Canada wildfires prompt air quality alerts in US "Once inhaled, these particles can affect the lungs and heart and cause serious health effects,' the Environmental Protection Agency has said. 'It almost makes me gasp' Carol Schuchart has been eagerly checking the weather reports to see when she and her two dogs might be able to venture outside again in Hanover, Pennsylvania, where she runs a wedding planning and coordination business. Schuchart, who has fibromyalgia, said she's been having trouble breathing since the haze has settled in. "It's hard to go outside and enjoy when that air quality is bad and you have trouble breathing, you know," she said. "So I tend to stay in when it's like this." Meanwhile, Dorothy Curran said she was shocked to see the Minneapolis skyline obscured by wildfire smoke during a recent commute to work. When she stepped outside, Curran said she felt a tightness in her chest. "I was just feeling very scratchy, having a lot of coughs," she said. "And I think a lot of people were feeling that, even without respiratory conditions." For those who do have health issues, the smoke can cause even more concern. As of Aug. 6, the EPA labeled air quality throughout the Plains, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions "unhealthy for sensitive groups." Wildfire smoke safety tips: How to keep you, your family and beloved pets safe Curran, a pediatric pulmonologist and a professor at the University of Minnesota, said she's been getting more and more calls from parents seeking refills on medication for their children with asthma or other underlying health conditions. "Things that I've been hearing about are shortness of breath with activity, cough, especially a dry cough," she said. "Very rarely, we've been seeing that trigger more airway reactivity or narrow airways leading to wheezing and presenting to the emergency department." Breathing in wildfire smoke can be dangerous because it can contain hazardous chemicals and particulate matter, which is comprised of small particles of solids or liquids suspended in the air, USA TODAY has reported. While larger particles can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, particles as small as 2.5 micrometers, PM 2.5, can "penetrate deep into the lungs, where they can impair lung function, cause illnesses, such as bronchitis, and increase asthma attacks," according to Yale Medicine. For Joel Williams, the smoke prompted an asthma flare up that landed him in the hospital for more than three weeks. Williams, a retired police officer who lives in Bloomington, Minnesota, said he started wheezing earlier this summer as the sky turned orange and the air began to smell like a fireplace. He said he tried the usual remedies ‒ breathing treatments, extra prednisone and even antibiotics ‒ but the wheezing persisted. Williams said he was eventually admitted to the hospital where he stayed for 23 days. "I am a very active person," he said. "To miss a whole month just sitting in a hospital bed was uncool." Since his release, Williams said he's been staying indoors more, wearing masks and using an air purifier as he waits for conditions to improve. He urged others affected by the smoke to take similar precautions. "I can almost tell as soon as I step out the house, it almost makes me gasp, even with a mask on," he said. "So that tells you how bad this stuff is." Contributing: Michael Loria, Christopher Cann
Axios
a day ago
- Axios
Breaking down Chicago's "worst in the world" air quality
Chicago had the distinction last week of having the worst air quality in the world due to Canadian wildfires. The big question: How could Chicago have worse air quality than Canada or states closer to the fires? How it works: In a high-pressure dome, as Chicago had last week, the air gradually descends. If the plume of smoke is 5-10,000 feet above the ground, for example, the air carrying the smoke starts to descend toward us, National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Kluber told Axios. The air is moving clockwise from the Northwest, through Canada and into the Great Lakes, putting Chicago smack in the middle of the wind's path. Reality check: The air quality was terrible here, but it could just be that more sensors were monitoring the air in Chicago than where the fires were happening, Kluber said. Another big question: Who is the least vulnerable age group for poor air quality and why? How it works: Poor air quality warnings generally target young children, teens and seniors because "people's lungs keep growing until age about 20-25, so anything in those critical years that can harm and stunt lung development can create problems in a person's later years as there is a long tail of lung capacity decline after that point," Respiratory Health Association's Brian Urbaszewski told Axios. Plus: Children tend to breathe about 50% more air per pound of body weight than adults, the EPA notes.
