The Northeast is covered in smoke from Canadian wildfires

Smoke from the destroyer forest fires In Canada, tornadoes cover a large swath of the Midwest and Northeast this week, prompting cities across the region to issue air quality warnings.

The high levels of smoke mean that even healthy adults would be wise to take some precautions Protect their health. The increasing severity of wildfires across the continent – partly due to climate change – means that even places where fires are not burning will still suffer the effects.

More than 100 fires were out of control across Canada as of Wednesday, while hundreds more are being monitored or being fought. The smoke drifted south and east, turning skies hazy from Minnesota to New York. Particularly dramatic images emerged from Toronto, where commuters went to work on Wednesday morning under orange skies. The region is also dealing with a heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit in many areas and a higher heat index.

On Wednesday evening, Air quality index In New York City it reached 180 degrees, putting the city’s air squarely into the “unhealthy” category as defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Other places fared worse, with Duluth, Minnesota, seeing AQI numbers over 500 (anything over 301 is classified as “dangerous” and considered unsafe for anyone). Smoke conditions are expected to worsen in parts of the northeastern United States on Thursday, including New York.

The wildfire smoke blanketing the area contains microscopic particles of a substance known as PM2.5, short for particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in size, or 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair.

Exposure to PM2.5 can cause or worsen a number of medical conditions, especially in vulnerable populations. Nicholas Nassikas, a pulmonologist and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, says he will tell his patients with pre-existing conditions, such as asthma and lung disease, to limit their time outside in such smoky conditions. Children “have a faster respiratory rate, they breathe more,” says Nasikas, while older people, who often have complex conditions and may live in less ventilated seniors’ homes and centers, are also at risk.

Even healthy adults may want to take precautions on days when the AQI exceeds 100, says Jennifer Stowell, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. “At the very least, it’s important to limit your time outdoors to reduce your overall exposure.” She says. If you have to be outside for long periods of time, Stowell recommends wearing an N95 mask. Stowell, who is currently in Boston, where the number of Al Qaeda in Iraq members reached 110 on Wednesday, says he was not planning to attend outside events until the evening.

Dan Westervelt, an associate professor of climate physics at Columbia University, is similarly cautious. “I’ll make sure my kids stay home today,” he says. “I will not do any physical activity, such as running, today or tomorrow.”

Climate change leads to higher temperatures. This makes the wildfire season longer and creates hotter and drier conditions that lead to more explosive fires. A He studies Estimates published last year indicate that wildfire smoke already causes 40,000 deaths a year in the United States, and could double to 70,000 deaths a year by 2050 if temperatures continue to rise. As poor air quality days caused by wildfire smoke become more common, research on prolonged exposure to this smoke is still developing. A similar explosion of smoke from Canadian wildfires will hit the Northeast in 2023.

“Exposure to high levels of air pollution over a lifetime or over a long period of time has been shown numerous times in research to lead to premature death,” Westervelt says. “You can shave some months off your life expectancy if you live in conditions where you are frequently exposed to high levels of air pollution.”