PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Smoke from Canadian wildfires has been severely affecting air quality across the eastern United States since Wednesday. Several Midwestern states are grappling with conditions that have been classified as unhealthy by federal authorities.
The devastating fires have forced thousands of Canadians to evacuate their homes and have sent smoke plumes as far afield as Europe. In the U.S., the Midwest is experiencing the most intense impacts, with smoke lingering over major cities from Kansas City to Minneapolis. An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) map indicated that large areas of this region are confronting unhealthy air quality levels.
In Iowa, a statewide air quality alert has been issued through early Thursday, advising residents to limit outdoor activities and warning of potential health risks due to thick smoke. Similar recommendations have been made in Wisconsin, where the smoke has drifted across the state. In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, officials are urging residents to shut their windows, avoid strenuous outdoor activities, and be vigilant for respiratory issues.
States such as Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York also reported areas of moderate air quality concerns, prompting officials to recommend that sensitive individuals consider reducing their outdoor activities. In New Hampshire, authorities expressed hope that conditions would improve by late Wednesday.
The smoke's impact on air quality is alarming, especially in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, which experienced the worst conditions on Tuesday. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued alerts for almost the entire state. They noted that while air quality is expected to improve from the northwest to the southeast, the smoke was projected to leave the area by noon Wednesday.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has cautioned that air quality in a swath stretching from southwest to northeast Iowa could continue to decline into the unhealthy range until Thursday morning. The agency urges individuals, particularly those with heart and lung conditions, to minimize long or strenuous outdoor activities and take frequent breaks.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow map, zones of "unhealthy" conditions are prevalent across Wisconsin and northern Iowa, with northern Michigan also showing high-risk areas. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is reported to hover around 160 in various parts of the upper Midwest, signifying unhealthy air quality conditions. The AQI measures air cleanliness, focusing on health risks posed by pollutants like ground-level ozone and particle pollution.
The index ranges from green, indicating satisfactory air quality, to maroon, which is deemed hazardous and presents health warnings for emergency conditions where all populations are likely to be affected. Advisories regarding moderate air quality concerns extended as far as Kansas and Georgia on Wednesday.
The wildfire situation in Canada is dire, with this year being reported as one of the worst wildfire seasons on record, particularly affecting areas northwest of Winnipeg in Manitoba. The scale of these wildfires is so extensive that smoke has even reached Europe, creating hazy skies, although it is not anticipated to significantly impair surface air quality, according to reports from the European climate service Copernicus.
The effects of these wildfires continue to demonstrate the interconnected nature of environmental health, affecting areas well beyond the immediate vicinity of the fires themselves.
