Technology and Science19 July, 20263 min read
Wildfire Smoke From Canada Pushes Chicago Air Quality Into Hazardous Territory
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Canadian wildfire smoke returned to Chicagoland, pushing air quality into unhealthy levels. Air quality alerts extended for Chicagoland due to wildfire smoke.
Chicago choked by smoke
Wildfire smoke drifting into the Chicago area from Canada and northern Minnesota pushed air quality into hazardous territory, with IQ Air ranking Chicago among the worst air quality in the entire world, according to NBC 5 Chicago. NBC 5 Chicago reported that the National Weather Service air quality alert would last until at least midnight on Monday and that forecast models expected wildfire smoke to continue impacting the area for most of the day Monday. CBS News said smoke from Canadian wildfires returned to “choking Chicago air” on Sunday, with IQAir rating Chicago second worst in the world behind only Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
CBS News also reported that the air quality index was 153 at 6 a.m., fell to 143 later in the morning, and reached 122 by 11 a.m., while an Air Quality Alert remained in effect. Block Club Chicago said Chicago recorded an Air Quality Index number of 134 as of Sunday morning, considered unhealthy for sensitive groups including children, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Masks, alerts, and warnings
CBS News quoted Juan Oropuz saying, "It's hard to breathe sometimes walking around, especially with everything going on the past couple of days," as he took precautions at the Roscoe Village Burger Fest while dealing with respiratory issues. CBS News also quoted Jesse Rabner saying, "I feel like better safe than sorry," describing why he wore a mask while running on the lakefront trail. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency warned that smoke could push air quality back into the unhealthy for sensitive groups category for much of the state, and advised people with asthma or heart disease to take it easy and limit strenuous activity.
WGN-TV said an Air Quality Alert was extended through Sunday night for all of Chicagoland, as well as for northern and central Illinois, northern and central Indiana, and the entire states of Wisconsin and Michigan. ABC reported that an Air Quality Alert was in effect through Monday night for the Chicago area due to smoke from Canadian wildfires, and said Chicago’s AQI was around 747 on Thursday and 156 on Sunday.
What’s at risk next
NBC 5 Chicago said that while ground-level smoke wasn’t expected to be as prevalent as it was late last week, it could still have impacts on sensitive groups including older residents and children, or for those with health conditions.
NBC 5 Chicago reported that a storm system sweeping across the Midwest would coincide with a shift in wind direction and was expected to continue pushing smoke out of the area by late Monday and into early Tuesday morning.
ABC quoted Dr. Soledad Cortina warning that the tiny particles in the smoke could have lasting health effects, saying, "Some of the components of wildfire are similar to those of like smoke and tobacco, and we know how damaging that is to the eyes and certain chronic conditions."
ABC also said HVAC technicians were encouraging homeowners to inspect air filters because smoke and airborne particles remained a concern, and quoted technician Karol Derezinski saying, "if you hold it up to a light and you can't see the light through it, that means that it's clogged up."
Block Club Chicago said the conditions led the Chicago Park District to close all beaches and outdoor pools and that events like a Chicago Fire home game were postponed due to the hazards.