Ottawa (TDI):Â On Tuesday, wildfires continue to spread across Canada and the United States, leading to a smoky atmosphere from the blazes and reducing the air quality of both countries, and putting people’s health at risk.
Detroit, New York City, and Chicago recorded the worst air quality in the world on Tuesday. There were some significant improvements recorded by Canada, Montreal, and Toronto, as these no longer ranked in the top 20 for unhealthy air quality.
According to the US National Weather Service, about 81 million Americans were under the bad air quality alerts in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, northern Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Maine.
Thought National Weather Service expected the air quality to get better by Wednesday. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center (CIFFC), an active 747 wildfires are burning across Canada, with 507 – over two-thirds – of them out of control as firefighters are still struggling to contain them.
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Thousands of Canadians had to evacuate and leave their homes behind. Natural Resources Canada said in a statement that all of the wildfires are spreading due to several factors related to climate change, such as warmer-than-average temperatures, drought conditions, and decreased levels of snowpack.
The Pollution Control Agency warned people of the consequences of the worst air quality, as even healthy people can be affected and show symptoms like irritated eyes, coughing, or shortness of breath.
“Sensitive or more exposed individuals may experience more serious health effects, including worsening of existing heart or lung disease and respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, possibly leading to an asthma attack, heart attack, or stroke,” the Pollution Control Agency said in a statement.
Canada is currently facing its second-worst wildfire of the season, with almost 4,000 fires recorded already this year, and in May, two people were killed as they got trapped in a wildfire in southeastern Manitoba.
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