About 110 million people in the United States received the alert, this Wednesday morning, about the strong smoke from the forest fires in Canada that reached the United States. Cities like New Hampshire, South Carolina, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia have been hardest hit.
According to specialists, 90 million people are being affected by poor air quality right now in the US.
Smog contains high concentrations of ozone at ground level that cause health damage.
What causes poor air quality?
According to Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist and immunologist with the Allergy & Asthma Network, poor air quality contains a harmful particle caused by an airborne “irritant.” As can be the smoke from vehicles and carbon emissions.
Natural disasters, such as forest fires, have spikes in poor air quality that contains carbon monoxide and other dangerous chemicals.
polluted air particles
“Small particles are of particular concern: tiny airborne particles that are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, or about 4% the width of a strand of hair. These particles are small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs and can enter the bloodstream,” he explains. nbcnews.com on your website.
The Environmental Protection Agency uses the index and it goes from 0 to over 300. When it is 50 or below it is considered “healthy” and when it goes over 150 people will begin to “experience symptoms”. More than 200 is “very unhealthy.”
Smoke blanketed large areas of Ontario and Quebec, while an orange haze billowed across much of the northeastern United States through Tuesday and Wednesday.
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How does pollution harm my health?
Air pollution can affect anyone, but especially young children, older adults, pregnant women, asthmatics, or pre-existing respiratory conditions.
Short-term symptoms are: irritation to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Long-term: severe asthma, preterm labor, heart disease, lung cancer, dementia, or lower IQ in children.