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Smoke, tariffs, and blame
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened new Canada tariffs over wildfires sending “filthy” air into U.S. cities, accusing Canada of “willful negligence” and saying the “United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air.”
“New York, July 17 (EFE) - The forest fires raging in Canada continue to send large plumes of smoke to parts of the United States, keeping wide areas of the country on alert due to their effects on air quality”
Trump said he would call Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to demand an explanation over Canada’s “willful negligence,” while the BBC reported that more than 190 wildfires were burning in Ontario and that nearly 3 million hectares of land in Canada had already been destroyed, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford replied to U.S. lawmakers on Friday, saying, “Maybe what you should do rather than complain is send support, send help,” and pointing to Canada’s help to the U.S. in California and hurricanes in North Carolina.
The BBC also quoted Dr Patrick James from the University of Toronto saying, “Weather doesn't care about international borders,” as smoke travels wherever winds take it, and it added that scientists said the fires are burning in Canada’s vast, remote forests where fires can be difficult to detect or contain.
The dispute unfolded as U.S. lawmakers John James, John Moolenaar, Jack Bergman and Lisa McClain warned in an open letter that their “patience has run out,” saying “American lungs are paying the price for Canadian inaction, year after year.”
Health alerts across states
Dangerous smoke from Canadian wildfires seeped into the U.S., impacting over 100 million Americans across more than a dozen states, with air quality alerts stretching from the Midwest to the Great Lakes to the Northeast to the Mid-Atlantic.
ABC News reported that Philadelphia issued a “Code Purple Air Quality Emergency Day” and that officials warned, “Everyone may experience negative health effects from particulate matter in the air,” while “Members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.”
The same ABC report said Canada had nearly 900 wildfires burning, with over 200 categorized as out of control, and it described how heavy rain near the Minnesota/Canada border could help some fires while storms could also bring strong winds and lightning.
Scientific American said Chicago, Detroit and Washington, D.C. topped a ranking of the worst air quality in the world, and it cited a 2021 study finding that exposure to particulates in wildfire smoke appeared to be 10 times more dangerous than exposure to other forms of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns.
Scientific American also warned there was “no evidence of a ‘safe’ threshold” of exposure to wildfire smoke, and it said any exposure corresponded with an increase in all-cause mortality.
World Cup under smoky skies
As smoke drifted into the Northeast, U.S. News & World Report said air quality alerts had been issued for New Jersey and surrounding areas ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
“The President of the United States accuses Ottawa of negligence for air pollution”
The outlet reported that the World Cup final is expected to draw more than 80,000 fans to the open-air MetLife Stadium, and it quoted Andrew Giuliani, White House World Cup task force executive director, saying, “There's been discussion about [the smoke], and we have somebody with the National Weather Service that sits in FIFA headquarters there, so we're monitoring closely.”
U.S. News & World Report said health officials advised sensitive groups—including children, older adults, pregnant people and individuals with asthma and heart disease—to reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity, while it noted the match would be played in an open-air stadium.
USA Today reported that air quality alerts remained in effect on July 17 in multiple states including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas, with the National Weather Service warning that smoke concentrations near the surface could create health risks.
USA Today also said the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reported PM2.5 concentrations peaked near 900 micrograms per cubic meter on July 16, and it quoted the agency saying, “Heavy smoke will continue to disperse and retreat to the north this evening into Friday morning.”
