Millions of people in North America have been advised to wear N95 masks outdoors due to poor air quality levels caused by intense wildfires in Canada. Officials warn that the dangerously smoky conditions are expected to continue through the weekend. Much of the smoke is coming from Quebec, where 150 fires are burning. More than 15,000 residents are expected to be forced to move out of the province, officials said on Wednesday. It is already Quebec’s worst fire season on record.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday that New York would distribute one million masks to state residents on Thursday.“This is a temporary situation. This is not Covid,” she said at a news conference. The governor added that New York City buses and trains have high-quality air filtration (过滤) systems that make them safe forms of travel.
Environment Canada has said that conditions are worsening in Toronto on Thursday, as more smoke pours in. In a special weather report on Wednesday, the agency recommended that anyone outdoors wear a mask. “These small particles (颗粒) generally pose the greatest risk to health. However, respirators (防毒面具) do not reduce exposure to the gases in wildfire smoke,” the Environment Canada statement said.
Meanwhile, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified the air quality in much of the north-east as “unhealthy” especially for people with respiratory (呼吸的) concerns.
In total, millions of people around North America are thought to be under a form of air quality warning. In New York, an orange mist blanketed the city’s skyline and covered landmarks including the Statue of Liberty. “We recommend all New Yorkers limit outdoor activity to the greatest extent possible,” Mayor Eric Adams warned on Wednesday. Zoos have brought animals indoors, and in New York, carriage horse rides have been suspended. On Wednesday, schools in the Washington DC area also cancelled outdoor activities as air quality levels were labelled “code red”, while Detroit was listed as the fifth worst major metropolitan (大城市的) area in the world on IQAir’s air pollution rankings.
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