More than a million Americans are advised to limit their time outdoors due to unhealthy air quality levels.
“Unhealthy” levels of air quality are detected in parts of Indiana, Michigan and Illinois, marked in red on the Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow map.
In areas with unhealthy air quality, residents are advised to limit prolonged or strenuous outdoor activities and take breaks when needed.
In Michigan, parts of Cass County and St Joseph County are experiencing unhealthy air. In Indiana, most of Elkhart County and a small part of Kosciusko County are among the areas experiencing unhealthy air. In Illinois, part of Kane County, DuPage County and Cook County, spanning Elgin, are affected.
Other areas are marked as having air quality levels for “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” meaning children, the elderly, and those with asthma, lung, or heart conditions, are advised to make outdoor activities shorter and less intense and to keep an eye on symptoms. These areas, marked on the AirNow map in orange, include wider areas in Indiana – such as Marion County – Illinois, Michigan, and small areas in Wisconsin and California.
AirNow provides real-time air quality updates, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) tracking particle pollution and other harmful pollutants in the air.
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