44m ago / 12:43 PM UTC
Smoke masks are useful in conditions of smog
A mask is useful if you have to spend time in smoke.
Dr. Purvi Paraikh, allergist and immuneologist at the Allergy & Asthma Network said that masks like N95 respirators could filter out particles in the air.
She said, “Believe or not masking like we did with Covid is helpful to act as a barrier and reduce the amount particulates that you inhale.”
51m ago / 12:36 PM UTC
Canada is currently experiencing more than 400 wildfires.
According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fires Centre, the smoke that is affecting large areas of the U.S. comes from Canada where there are more than 400 fires burning.
More than 150 forest blazes erupted in Quebec yesterday. Of these, 110 were considered to be out of control. Last night, the fires forced Chibougamau (Quebec), a remote village of 7,500 people, to issue evacuation orders.
Bill Blair, Minister of Emergency Preparedness in Canada, called the situation “serious”. He described the images as “the worst we’ve ever seen” for the wildfire season.
He added that the current forecast indicates that fire activity could continue to be higher than normal in the coming months.
1h ago, 12:24 PM UTC
N.J. Forest Fire Service issues a warning about a wildfire
Last night, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service issued a warning about a wildfire that was not contained.
The National Weather Service warned that “dry thunderstorms”, which can lead to wildfires, could be sparked by fire weather in the U.S.
1h ago, 12:16 PM UTC
New York City’s air quality was the worst in the world on Monday night
Last night, New York City’s air quality was the worst in the world. The Atlantic coast of Canada had been blanketed with smoke and smog due to wildfires.
Around 9 p.m., the city topped the chart for worst air pollution on IQAir. This was a Swiss air monitoring firm. The levels were higher than the previous worst air quality record in the area, which occurred in July 2002.
New Delhi was the second-placed city in New York this morning.
Smoke caused the sun to burn more orange and red than usual.
1h ago, 12:12 PM UTC
Poor air quality can harm your health
According to Dr. Purvi Paraikh, allergist and immuneologist at the Allergy & Asthma Network, poor air quality is caused by airborne “irritants” — a substance or particle in the air which can be harmful for a person to inhale.
Wildfire smoke can cause many of the same health problems as poor air quality. Dr. Wynne armand, an associate director at the MGH Center for the Environment and Health and physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, explained that.
1h ago, 12:12 PM UTC
Wildfire smoke and ozone air quality alerts affect 98 million people
As wildfire smoke continues to spread from Canada over the U.S., many Americans will be affected by low air quality.
Air quality alerts are in effect for parts of 18 states this morning, from South Carolina to New Hampshire. New York, Boston and Washington, D.C. are among the large metro areas that have been placed under air quality alerts.
The Northeast will see another significant surge of smoke this afternoon. The worst smoke is expected to be in and around New York City between 3-9 p.m.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada blanket Cincinnati’s skyline yesterday.
Kareem Elgazzar / USA Today Network
