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The American West is suffocating in smoke from fires

2020-09-14T23:16:49.815Z


Air quality in Washington, Oregon and California is rated as "dangerous"Headache, cough, blurred vision: the acrid smoke that fills the atmosphere of the American West Coast, ravaged by giant fires, causes record pollution rates and public concern about health risks. Portland, the metropolis of northern Oregon, has been living for a few days under a blanket of haze, which has detonated the meters of pollution indices. The city was second on Monday in the ranking of th


Headache, cough, blurred vision: the acrid smoke that fills the atmosphere of the American West Coast, ravaged by giant fires, causes record pollution rates and public concern about health risks.

Portland, the metropolis of northern Oregon, has been living for a few days under a blanket of haze, which has detonated the meters of pollution indices.

The city was second on Monday in the ranking of the IQAir site for the poor quality of its air, behind Vancouver in Canada, also victim of the fires raging in Washington State.

Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, also hit by smoke from the fires, are also at the top of the list.

"It's very bad, there is so much smoke that it looks like fog and it is difficult to breathe," said

Lorain Magee, 55, behind his fabric mask.

Disabled, she also complains of headaches, stomach aches, vision problems.

To protect herself, she limits her outings to walks for her little dog, Charlie, who also suffers from pollution.

"He has runny eyes, from time to time he hyperventilates and chokes," she

enumerates.

Read also: Fires in the United States: images of the power of the flames and the devastation that followed

Multnomah County, which encompasses Portland, warned Monday of looking

“very risky”

in the metropolis.

"NOBODY should be outside,"

he said on Twitter, calling on employees who work in the open air to wear N95 masks.

"If you smell the smoke, you inhale fine particles that go very deep into the lungs,"

Jennifer Vines, head of county health services, said in a video message.

But pollution does not prevent some from playing sports.

Jamal, 36, jogs with a filter mask.

“I'm training to run a marathon next year and the mask helps a bit,”

said the athletic-build African-American.

“With the mask, it's more difficult to breathe,”

he says, admitting that he wouldn't recommend this type of exercise in the midst of pollution.

He says he sometimes has a itchy throat and stuffy nose.

Read also: Overheating California victim of power outages

The stale air, which dissuades residents from going out, is also a disaster for businesses, after the quarantine measures due to the coronavirus pandemic in the spring.

Christopher Payne, owner of Kingsland Café, gazes at his empty terrace.

“Last week we had 80 seats occupied, people were lining up, the difference is huge,”

he says.

"This week has been hard for us, I hope that the rain will come and clean it all up and that we can leave again next week"

, he adds.

Rain is indeed forecast for Tuesday morning, but conditions should only improve at the end of the week, according to weather services.

However, some have chosen to brave the elements and do not wear masks.

“My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ loves me and I have faith that he will keep me healthy,”

says David, 25, who works in a bank.

"I am not afraid.

These things that happen, like the coronavirus and fires, for us to stay at home to seek the presence of God, ”he

explains.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-09-14

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