Latest news with #AshleeRezin
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Climate
- 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.
Japan Today
02-08-2025
- Climate
- Japan Today
Smoke from Canadian wildfires brings unhealthy air to large swaths of the Midwest
People sun tan on the Lakefront Trail on the North Side as a haze of Canadian wildfire smoke blankets the Chicago area and creates poor air quality, Thursday, July 31, 2025. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) By CAROLYN THOMPSON and DORANY PINEDA Smoke from Canadian wildfires hovered over several Midwestern states Saturday, bringing warnings of unhealthy air for at least the third day. 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. Canadian environmental officials said smoke from forest fires that was causing reduced visibility and poor quality would persist into Sunday for some areas. The Switzerland-based air quality monitoring database IQAir, which assesses air quality in real time, listed the city of Minneapolis as having some of the worst air pollution in the world since Friday. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to reach the red or unhealthy category in a large swath of Minnesota and will likely remain through Saturday. AQI is a system used to communicate how much air pollution is in the air. It breaks pollution down into six categories and colors, and advice on what isn't safe to do. They range from 'good' (the color green) to 'hazardous' (maroon). The smoke could start to decline beginning Saturday before spreading as far south as Tennessee and Missouri. The air could remain unhealthy for sensitive groups through Monday, state health officials said. The EPA's Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number. The lower the number, the better. Anything below 50 is classified as 'healthy.' Fifty to 100 is 'moderate' while 100-150 is unhealthy for 'sensitive groups." Anything above 150 is bad for everyone. Parts of Minnesota exceeded that number on Saturday. Health officials advise people with asthma and other lung disease, heart disease, children and older adults to avoid prolonged exposure to smoke and limit strenuous activities. They said to avoid burning things that could make the air pollution worse, and keep windows and doors closed to keep the smoke from getting inside. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
