New York, Maine, Minnesota, and Vermont have all issued air quality alerts as smoke from wildfires blows into these northeastern states from Canada, Newsweek reported on Sunday.
The high levels of smoke and pollution blowing into these states has resulted in hazy skies and poor air quality, presenting a health hazard, especially for vulnerable populations such as children, senior citizens, and individuals with existing medical conditions.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Bureau of Air Quality advises those affected to reduce strenuous outdoor activity or exercise in order to decrease the risk of health issues from higher pollution levels.
The DEP recommends to limit both the intensity and duration of one’s time outside if one experiences symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, throat irritation, or chest discomfort.
Meteorologist Jeff Masters, who writes for Yale Climate Connections, said that “with fire danger at very high levels throughout much of Canada, we can anticipate that these major smoke-emitting fires will continue to burn for an extended period.”
He emphasized that “the long-range fire forecast calls for above-average fire risk over much of the forested areas of western Canada and the western U.S. this summer, and we should anticipate frequent bouts of poor air quality from wildfire smoke across much of North America.”
AccuWeather’s Brett Anderson added that while some fires have been put out, “some of the big ones in remote areas are likely going to continue, unfortunately, through the summer into the fall.”
Canada’s wildfire season runs from March to October. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center, there were 217 active fires across the country as of the weekend, with 94 of them considered “out of control.” Seventy-two of these fires are in British Columbia, while there are 52 burning in Alberta.
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