New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued a written statement on air quality in the state.
Pointing out that the air quality in the northern parts of the province, close to Canada, has started to decrease to an “unhealthy” level, Hochul stated that for this reason, they keep hundreds of thousands of N95 type masks ready for the use of the public and public officials.
Hochul noted that if the air quality in New York City drops to a dangerous level, they will warn the public via phone messages and emphasized that hospitals have been instructed to be ready for an increase in respiratory ailments.
“New Yorkers must once again be prepared for the smoke from wildfires in Canada to impact the air quality of our state this week,” warned Hochul, urging New Yorkers to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their loved ones.
70 million people are expected to be adversely affected
Weather experts say about 12 provinces, mostly in the north of the country, from the state of Montana to Vermont, will be affected by smoke from Canada.
Especially Chicago, Detroit, New York, St. It is estimated that air quality and visibility will decrease in this region, where approximately 70 million people live, due to the smoke that is expected to affect major cities such as Louis and Cleveland.
The US Weather Forecast Center reported that the smog is expected to remain on the east coast until mid-week, but it will not be as “dangerous” as when it first affected the US at the beginning of June.
According to the Canadian Interagency Wildfires Center website, there are more than 880 active fires nationwide, of which about 580 are “out of control”.
It is stated that forest fires release significant pollutants into the atmosphere and the smoke that comes out contains fine particulate matter called PM2.5, which causes health problems such as asthma and bronchitis.