Fires in Canada: New York chokes in smoke, critical air quality

The "Big Apple" has recently tasted poisonous. Because New York and its barely discernible skyscrapers are shrouded in an orange mist, whose stale air creates health risks. The town hall has also called on residents to reduce their travel: "Children and active adults as well as people with lung diseases, such as asthma, should reduce prolonged or difficult efforts outside. " The air quality index has reached its critical threshold.

Wear a mask

Through the thick mist, reminiscent of the smog of extremely polluted cities in China or India, the sun even displays a glowing color. This phenomenon is due to an atmosphere particularly loaded with smoke particles.

Since May, forest fires ravaging the regions of eastern Canada have exhaled a quantity of smoke, which has spread with the wind in the northeastern United States, including New York. 246 forest fires are currently out of control in Canada with more than 2.7 million hectares burned, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC). About 160 fires are still active Tuesday in Quebec, which has become the epicenter of a catastrophic spring on the fire front, causing a deterioration in air quality across borders.

NYC just issued a mask advisory for 'vulnerable residents' due to wildfire smoke.

But the damage from small particles in wildfire smoke is cumulative, and can lead to long term health issues for anyone. It's a good idea for *everyone* to wear a mask.https://t.co/s9KDDrpKeJ

— Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) June 7, 2023

As a result, New York has temporarily become the most polluted city in the world. Dr. Lucky Tran, from Public Health, even recommends that the population wear a mask as in recent Covid years. Wind-propagated ash particles "can lead to long-term health problems for anyone. It's a good idea for everyone to wear a mask," he wrote on his Twitter account.