If you’re in New York and took a good look at the sky, you’re probably wondering ‘What the heck is going on?’ Well, there’s a big reason for the super poor air quality and smokey clouds today.
According to local reports including CNBC, Canada has been experiencing a bad wildfire season and it’s expected to get worse as blazes are forecast to continue through August, officials had previously said Monday. As the news site notes, there are currently 413 active wildfires across nearly all Canadian provinces and territories. So far, roughly 26,000 people are under evacuation orders.
As of today, the smoke from wildfires burning in Canada has drifted to New York. The sky over the city had an orange glow this Tuesday afternoon and the sun was largely obscured by a smoky haze. The ratings for air quality levels across the five boroughs reached into the 150s, according to the U.S. government online platform AirNow. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality health advisory today for New York, Bronx, Kings, Queens, and Richmond counties and the surrounding suburbs as those levels are considered unhealthy for all people and way above exposure recommendations from the World Health Organization.
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The city has also warned residents to limit time outdoors especially for people with respiratory illnesses or heart disease are especially vulnerable to the dangerous air quality conditions.
At least 10 school districts in central New York state have canceled outdoor activities and events Tuesday, the school district announcements said. Those activities include academic, athletic, and extracurricular activities. Outdoor recess and gym classes were also canceled as well.
William Barrett, the national senior director of clean air advocacy with the American Lung Association warned, “If you can see or smell smoke, know that you’re being exposed,” CNN quotes him saying. “And it’s important that you do everything you can to remain indoors during those high, high pollution episodes, and it’s really important to keep an eye on your health or any development of symptoms.”
“Really, make sure you take appropriate steps to check in with health care providers about any concerning symptoms that come up during these events,” Barrett added.
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