Central New York is under an Air Quality Advisory as smoke and dust is carried in from wildfires spreading in eastern Canada. According to the Syracuse Fire Department, the air quality index went up to 150 out of 300 today, which is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ by the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service issued the air quality warning for two consecutive days prompted by the residual smoke from nearly 200 wildfires burning in the Canadian Province of Quebec. Over 8 million acres have burned across Canada this year in Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and now Quebec.
Dr. Kaushal Nanavati with Upstate Medical University says fires burning in Quebec are sending microscopic particles in the air that can trigger negative health effects.
“Everything from a cough, itchy eyes, dry throat, scratchy throat, to burning sensation, funny taste in the nose and mouth," Nanavati explained. "That's where we get concerned because it can trigger inflammation, which leads to making things like asthma and lung disease worse, where it can stress the heart and can cause stress on the circulation as well.”
Nanavati says people should limit time outdoors during poor air quality events, especially high risk groups like children, senior citizens, pregnant adults and people with chronic lung disease. Onondaga County advised schools to cancel outdoor after-school activities.
The Syracuse Fire Department is asking people to gather as much information as possible if they smell smoke before calling the fire department.
County Health Commissioner Dr. Kathryn Anderson says some people can take the step of protecting themselves with a respirator, but the poor air quality situation should be temporary.
“People may feel a little bit strange. High-risk people should avoid being outdoors and engaging in heavy exertion," Anderson said. "This is not something that's going to have huge effects for people for a long time. Short term as people are getting through these couple of days where the air quality is bad, an N95 may be useful, but it's not critical for keeping them safe.”
How long the wildfires will last is unknown, but Anderson says the smoke will likely reduce as Central New York receives precipitation later in the week.
Track the air quality here.
