The impact of smoke from the Midwest wildfires on air quality: A red alert in Madison, Wis., last week and early Washington, DC, was called off
Smoke from the powerful fires even reached as far as Europe this week, with a grayish haze affecting parts of Portugal, Spain and France. It wasn’t thought to have a similar impact on human health in the US.
The impact of the wildfire smoke is being felt across the Midwest, which has caused Chicago to have one of the worst air quality in the world.
There are 503 active wildfires burning in Canada, and more than 50 are out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. There were around 450 fires that were burning in June.
Studies have shown that wildfires in the U.S. are growing in frequency, length and size due in part to climate change, and the United Nations says a similar trend is occurring across the globe.
When the air quality goes down, experts recommend that people stay in their homes as much as possible and wear masks, limit strenuous activity and keep their pets inside except for short bathroom breaks.
According to the National Weather Service, the poor air quality from the smoke could last for a couple of days.
The air quality in Madison, Wis., was a very harmful purple alert rating due to smoke from Canada’s wildfires.
There was a dense mass of purple dots on the U.S. AirNow map, signalling the need for people to limit their time outside.
“This week, the average air quality is expected to fluctuate between unhealthy for sensitive groups to unhealthy for everyone,” member station Michigan Radio reports, citing state meteorologists.
On Code Red Air Quality Action Day, people with respiratory problems, including asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, should avoid outdoor activities, and people without respiratory problems should reduce their exposure to air pollution.
Vulnerable people should avoid all physical activity outdoors and everyone else should avoid any physical activity outdoors due to the code purple conditions.
Because smoke and wind patterns can change quickly in very localized areas, the AirNow agency recommends entering your zip code on its website to learn the latest related alert levels.
The dire alerts are hitting many areas that were recently under red and purple alerts in early June. The opening ceremony of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. was called off because of the poor weather early Thursday.
U.S. cities with the worst air quality and pollution Thursday are Washington, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and New York, according to IQAir.com
Five U.S. cities — Washington, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and New York — were among the 10 major cities worldwide with the worst air quality and pollution Thursday, according to international air quality monitoring website IQAir.com.