Air quality alerts or advisory notices have been issued for parts of Connecticut, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Texas on Thursday with people urged to monitor themselves for shortness of breath and palpitations.
The warnings were shared by the federal National Weather Service (NWS) as strong winds blow wildfire smoke across multiple states.
Why It Matters
The NWS warns “sensitive groups,” including children, older adults and those with respiratory conditions, are especially vulnerable but that “the general public” may also “experience health effects” across impacted areas.
People are urged to avoid outdoor and indoor wood burning and to reduce vehicle trips in some areas to avoid adding to the air pollution.
What To Know
The air quality alerts and advisories in place on Thursday apply to all of Minnesota, as well as most of Wisconsin bar some northern areas and a large central slice of Michigan according to the NWS. They also cover patches of coastal Texas, including Houston, and parts of Connecticut.
Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin are being impacted by fine particle matter from wildfire smoke initiating across the border in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued an Air Quality Advisory notice urging people to “keep outdoor activities shorter and less intense” with vulnerable groups urged to “consider rescheduling or moving all activities inside.”
Asthma sufferers should keep their medication handy and follow their asthma action plans, while those with heart disease should contact their health care provider if they experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, palpitations or “unusual fatigue.”
An air quality alert has also been issued for the entirety of Minnesota by the state’s Pollution Control Agency which advised the public to “avoid prolonged or heavy exertion,” while those in sensitive groups should “avoid all physical activities outdoors.”
Similarly, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which issued an air quality advisory for much of the state, says people in sensitive groups should “consider rescheduling or moving all activities inside” and “go inside if you have symptoms.”
The general public is advised to “keep outdoor activities shorter and less intense” and to “go inside if you have symptoms.”
In Connecticut the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has issued an air quality alert, which it calls an Air Quality Action Day, for Fairfield, New Haven, Middlesex and New London counties meaning “fine particulates within the region may approach or exceed unhealthy standards.” This applies between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. ET on Thursday.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has issued Ozone Action Day notices, which it classifies as air quality alerts, for coastal parts of the state along with the Dallas-Fort Worth area noting that “atmospheric conditions are expected to be favorable for producing high levels of ozone air pollution” for these regions.
On Wednesday millions of people across Michigan were urged to monitor themselves for symptoms such as coughing and dizziness due to smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting across the border.
What People Are Saying
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said: “Northerly winds will continue transporting waves of heavy surface smoke from wildfires across Manitoba and Saskatchewan into Minnesota…The smoke will be reinforced by an area of high pressure that will create light winds and limit the dispersion of smoke.”
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality wrote: “You can help prevent ozone pollution by sharing a ride, walking, riding a bicycle, taking your lunch to work, avoiding drive-through lanes, conserving energy, and keeping your vehicle properly tuned.”
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said that for people with heart disease “symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, or unusual fatigue may indicate a serious problem. If you have any of these, contact your health care provider.”
What Happens Next
Canada is currently experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in recorded history, with Natural Resources Canada, a government body, warning the wildfire risk remains “extreme” across parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Northwest Territories. Thus the threat to air quality in certain northern U.S. states from smoke is likely to continue over the coming days.
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