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Health & Fitness


AIR QUALITY ALERT ISSUED FOR NEW YORK AS CANADIAN WILDFIRE SMOKE RETURNS

An Air Quality Alert has been issued for all of New York on Wednesday and for
New Jersey through Thursday.
WABC

Updated 5 minutes ago
Sam Chmpion has the latest on our area's air quality, which was at a moderate
level of 56 around noon Wednesday.
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Drifting smoke from the ongoing wildfires across Canada is
creating curtains of haze and raising air quality concerns for the New York
area.

An Air Quality Alert has been issued for all of New York on Wednesday.





New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection also issued an alert for
Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex, and Union counties until midnight Thursday
night.

Air in Western New York, Central New York, and the Eastern Lake Ontario regions
is forecast to be 'Unhealthy' for all New Yorkers. The forecast for the
remainder of the state, including New York City and Long Island, is 'Unhealthy
for Sensitive Groups.'

Check the air quality in your neighborhood HERE.

"With smoke from the Canadian wildfires once again impacting air quality
throughout our state this week, we're urging New Yorkers to remain vigilant,"
Governor Hochul said. "We're activating emergency cell phone alerts to ensure
New Yorkers have the latest information and are continuing to coordinate with
local counties to monitor conditions and distribute masks. I encourage all New
Yorkers to stay informed about the latest updates and take the necessary
precautions to protect yourselves and your loved ones."

Significant near-surface smoke impacts are not currently forecast to reach
Eastern New York, including New York City and Long Island, until late afternoon.
However, conditions are likely to deteriorate quickly once the smoke moves in.

Updated air quality information and alerts are available from the state's
website.

In New York City, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Port Authority, and
the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation are distributing masks
to commuters at major transit hubs and state parks. Additional masks are being
made available to counties outside of New York City at State-run stockpiles for
further distribution to the public.

Masks are available at the following locations:

Grand Central Terminal
Penn Station
Fulton Center
Jamaica Station
Main Concourse of the Port Authority Bus Terminal, South Wing
Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
Grand Concourse, Bronx
Shirley Chisholm State Park
Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve
Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park
Roberto Clemente State Park

Transit authorities across the state are utilizing public address systems, bus
headway signs, social media and other electronic signage to provide air-quality
related safety information directly to customers, including:

Metropolitan Transportation Authority
NassauTRANSIT
Westchester County Bee-Line
Broome County Transit
Capital District Transportation Authority
Central New York Regional Transportation Authority
Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority
Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority

The wildfire smoke is also causing problems in the Midwest.

The Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow.gov site showed parts of Illinois,
lower Michigan and southern Wisconsin had the worst air quality in the U.S. on
Tuesday afternoon, and Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee had air quality
categorized as "very unhealthy."

In Minnesota, a record 23rd air quality alert was issued Tuesday through late
Wednesday night across much of the state, as smoky skies obscure the skylines of
Minneapolis and St. Paul. Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and
Energy issued an air quality alert for the entire state. Wisconsin's Department
of Natural Resources also issued an air quality advisory for the state.



In Chicago, officials urged young people, older adults and residents with health
issues to spend more time indoors.

On Thursday as the system pushes towards the ocean, some of the near-surface
smoke is expected to get into western New York.
The air quality will begin to degrade and may reach levels that will be
unhealthy for sensitive groups.

The last time the air quality was impacted by wildfire smoke, Mount Sinai
pulmonologist Dr. Barbara Mann got extra calls and visits.

"The best thing to do is to keep an eye on the actual objective number of the
air quality index," Mann said. "For above 150 of an air quality index, really
everybody should stay home as much as possible. If you have to go out to do
errands, that's ok, but I wouldn't do outdoor activities."

Dr. Mann says wearing a mask is a good idea in the subway, where air quality is
going to be worse than whatever is outside.

"Just being outside you may feel some chest tightness or sore throat or eye
tearing," she said. "Those are not as big a concern, they're uncomfortable and
you want to avoid it, but it's really the patients that have underlying
conditions that we worry about."



The governor is asking summer camps to limit outdoor activity for kids as the
numbers rise, and for employers to limit work time outdoors for employees and
provide masks.

One difference this time is that weather conditions were bone dry back on June
7. Now, it's hot and muggy.

"It's sort of a double whammy that way because you're getting the higher ozone
layers from the heat and humidity," Mann said. "You're also getting the small
particles from the smoke. So yes, when it's hot and humid and you have the
wildfire smoke, it's extra concerning, so you want to be extra cautious on those
days."

Those particles can be problematic when they get into your bloodstream. A KN95
or N95 mask can help keep them out of your lungs and if you leave home without
one, the governor says the MTA will make N95s available at transit hubs like
Grand Central and Penn Station in the next couple of days.

Air Quality Tracker | ABC7 Air Quality Tracker






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