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June 28 (UPI) -- Canadian wildfire smoke created dangerously unhealthy air over much of the U.S. Midwest on Wednesday, and New Yorkers have been warned the bad air is heading east and is expected to affect the Northeast over the next few days. Around 87 million people are now at risk of poor air quality in Detroit, Chicago and Minneapolis, in addition to New York City.
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Chicago's air quality was in the "very unhealthy" category Wednesday afternoon with an air quality index of 255, according to AirNow.gov. Detroit scored a very unhealthy 229, while St. Louis was at 171 in the unhealthy category.
Chicago is under an air quality alert until midnight. The smoky air contains particulates that can cause respiratory problems.
"Your bronchioles, the tubes that lead down to your lungs are going to be more inflamed. And that's going to make them feel like they're closing off a bit," Dr. Jordan Moskoff of Stroger Hospital told WLS-TV.
The air quality warnings urge people to avoid outside air if possible and to wear masks like N95s outdoors.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement that the city is monitoring air quality and encouraging precautions.
"We recommend children, teens, seniors, people with heart or lung disease, and individuals who are pregnant avoid strenuous activities and limit their time outdoors," he said.
Michigan's state toxicologists said wood fires emit volatile organic compounds, creating a campfire smell, but they break down quickly when exposed to sunlight. Other VOCs like benzene are also released by the smoky air in addition to tiny particulates. Those VOCs create a plastic-like smell that wafts around for a few days.
In St. Louis, a warm front moving in Wednesday afternoon was expected to push the smoky air east, but ozone will become a problem and air quality Wednesday was expected to remain unhealthy.
The National Weather Service is also projecting high temperatures in St. Louis of 103 degrees for Thursday as the smoky air begins to move out.
New York's departments of Environmental Conservation and Health have issued an air quality health advisory for fine particulate matter for Western and Central New York regions and Eastern Lake Ontario for Wednesday and Thursday as air pollution may reach unhealthy levels.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has instructed the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to alert affected communities via the Wireless Emergency Alert System if AQI levels reach "very unhealthy" or "hazardous."
"The air quality is deteriorating very quickly in our state as a result of the Canadian wildfires and that being said over the next 48 hours we're anticipating the smoke and the haze to come all across the state," she said, stating it will affect New York skies starting Wednesday morning, hitting Central and Western New Yorkers first and those in New York City on Thursday.
There are nearly 500 active wildfires burning throughout Canada, more than half of which are listed as "out of control" by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.
The Great White North is at its highest national preparedness level of 5, indicating "full commitment of resources is ongoing, demand for resources is extreme and international resources are being mobilized" to fight the fires.
The announcement comes after New York and other regions in the eastern United States were submerged in unhealthy air because of the Canadian wildfires earlier this month.
Hochul urged New Yorkers to prepare for the deteriorating air quality and said she had directed for thousands of N95 masks to be made available in the city and throughout the state.
"People who are especially sensitive to elevated levels of pollutants, including the very young and those with pre-existing respiratory problems such as heart disease or asthma, should avoid spending time outdoors, if possible," Dr. James McDonald, New York State health commissioner, said in a statement.
