Thick clouds of smoke from Canadian wildfires spread over the Midwest, prompting health alerts due to poor air conditions. This marks the third day in a row that these states have faced air quality warnings.
States such as Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, along with eastern Nebraska and parts of Indiana and Illinois, experienced these alerts. Forecasts indicated that the haze would linger throughout the day, posing a health risk particularly to children, older adults, pregnant women, and those with lung or heart conditions.
According to Canadian environmental authorities, the smoke from the wildfires is likely to continue affecting visibility and air quality into Sunday in some regions.
The air quality monitoring tool IQAir, based in Switzerland, reported that Minneapolis had some of the highest levels of air pollution globally since Friday.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) reached the “red” or unhealthy category across a significant portion of Minnesota, expected to persist through Saturday. The AQI uses a color-coded system to communicate air pollution levels, from “good” (green) to “hazardous” (maroon).
While the smoke is anticipated to diminish starting Saturday, it could extend as far south as Tennessee and Missouri, with potentially unhealthy air for sensitive individuals through Monday, as per state health officials.
The EPA’s Air Quality Index simplifies pollutant levels to a single figure, where lower numbers indicate better air quality. Ratings below 50 are “healthy,” 50-100 is “moderate,” 100-150 affects “sensitive groups,” and above 150 is harmful for everyone. Parts of Minnesota exceeded that number on Saturday.
Health experts recommend individuals with asthma, lung disease, heart conditions, children, and the elderly to avoid prolonged exposure to the smoke and limit physical activities. They also suggest refraining from burning materials that could worsen air pollution and keeping windows and doors shut to prevent smoke from entering homes.
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