As severe wildfires rage throughout Canada, tens of millions of people in North America have woken up to hazardous air quality conditions.
Large portions of Ontario and Quebec were covered in smoke, and most of the northeastern US was enveloped in an orange haze on Tuesday and into Wednesday.
Overnight, the worst air quality in the world was temporarily experienced in some places, including Toronto and New York.
Quebec, where 160 fires are raging, is where the majority of the smoke is coming from.
Officials in Canada claim that the nation is headed for its worst wildfire season on record.
The cause of the trend, according to experts, is a warmer and drier than usual spring. All summer long, these circumstances are expected to persist.
Tuesday, Environment Canada issued the greatest air quality alert it has ever issued for Ottawa, citing a “very high risk” to public health.
The air quality in Toronto and the surrounding areas was rated as “high risk”.
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A large portion of the north-east’s air quality was deemed “unhealthy” by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), especially for those who already have respiratory conditions.
It is estimated that a total of 100 million people in North America are under some type of air quality warning.
Photo depicts Toronto on Tuesday.
SOURCE OF IMAGE: REUTERS
picture caption
Tuesday’s “high risk” air quality rating was given to Toronto.
In New York, the Statue of Liberty and other famous buildings were obscured by an orange haze that covered the city’s skyline.
The mayor of the city, Eric Adams, has issued a statement saying that all outdoor activities at the city’s public schools have been put on indefinite hold.
The most amount of outdoor exercise should be avoided, he advised all New Yorkers.
According to a local, the smell of smoke used to be like “burnt toast, but now it smells more like a campfire.”
On IQAir’s air pollution rankings, Detroit was ranked as the fifth worst city in the world on Wednesday morning, while air quality levels in the Washington, DC, area were given the “code red” designation.
Public health officials have advised individuals to avoid outdoor exercise and limit their exposure to smoke as much as possible because the air is hazardous to their short- and long-term health.
A region in Quebec, the Atikamekw village of Opitciwan, 350 kilometers (217 miles) north of Montreal, was compelled to relocate residents with asthma and other respiratory conditions because of the deteriorating air quality.
Over 3.3 million hectares of land have been destroyed by fires in Canada so far, which is 12 times the area burned during the previous 10 years at this time of year.
Numerous thousands of individuals have been evacuated nationwide.
Major fires have also been burning in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and the Northwest Territories in addition to Quebec.
The Statue of Liberty is obscured by smoke and haze brought on by Canadian wildfires (image source: Reuter’s).
The likelihood of hot, dry weather, which is prone to start wildfires, is increasing due to climate change.
Since the start of the industrial period, the world has already warmed by around 1.2C, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments drastically reduce emissions.
How can the smoke from wildfires effect your health?
Numerous health problems have been linked to wildfire smoke inhalation, according to experts.
Shortness of breath, a raised pulse, chest pain, or irritation in the eyes, nose, or throat are some of the acute side effects of breathing in wildfire smoke, according to Matthew Adams, a professor at the University of Toronto and the head of its Centre of Urban Environments.
According to Prof. Adams, “we’ll see an increased number of hospital visits on these days of elevated air pollution.” And most patients who come to the hospital already have a respiratory condition.
On June 3, the NASA Aqua satellite’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) captured an aerial shot of smoke rising from the fires in Quebec.
NASA Earth Observatory/ISS Crew Earth Observations, image source
As of Tuesday, there were 160 wildfires raging around Quebec.
Prof. Adams noted that, particularly for those who live in places where forest fires occur frequently, wildfire smoke has also been connected to serious, long-term health problems like cancer or lung illness.
According to him, this is brought on by tiny smoke haze particles that can reach the circulation and other areas of the body, potentially causing DNA alterations and other health problems.
According to certain research, pregnant women and their unborn children may be harmed by chronic wildfire smoke exposure. Prof. Adams remarked.
Prof. Adams suggested limiting outdoor activity for residents of cities far from the fires but subject to the air advisories at the time to prevent inhaling wildfire smoke.
Don’t worry too much about it, he advised. “Remain indoors and limit your exposure.”
However, at locations nearer the fires, Prof. Adams advised putting on a N95 mask outside to prevent inhalation of the majority of the smoke particles.
