Global Courant
HOUSTON, United States
Severe wildfires in Canada are causing serious air quality problems in the United States, placing more than 120 million Americans on air quality alerts, according to weather officials on Thursday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Code Red warning for most of the Midwest States, including Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, Minnesota, Ohio, warning of unhealthy air quality along the Ohio Valley and up to the East Coast. Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
Code Orange warnings were issued for many neighboring states, where the air was deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Detroit, Washington, DC, Chicago and New York City were among the top 10 cities with the worst air quality in the world as of Thursday afternoon, according to IQAir, which monitors global air quality.
“Poor air quality conditions are likely to continue, as wildfires in Canada and west-to-northwest winds are expected to continue from south central Canada to the north central and northeastern United States,” the NWS said in a statement.
Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season on record, with hundreds of blazes actively ravaging the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
The orange smoke and hazy skies caused by wildfires pose a serious health threat, prompting states like New York to distribute masks to residents.
Other states are urging residents to stay indoors and turn on their air conditioners to avoid breathing polluted air, leading to the cancellation of many outdoor activities.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), wildfire smoke carries a small but dangerous pollutant that, when inhaled, can travel deep into lung tissue and enter the bloodstream, causing a host of health problems including heart disease, asthma and others. respiratory diseases
The Canadian National Forestry Database showed that there were more than 3,000 wildfires burning nearly 20 million acres in the first six months of 2023, surpassing Canada’s previous record for the amount of land burned in 1989.
There were 500 active wildfires in Canada on Thursday, with more than half of the flames classified as “out of control,” according to officials.
Smoke from the fires crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached parts of Europe, including France, Spain and Portugal.
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