Canadian wildfire smoke moving through the Great Lakes region has greatly impacted air quality for Metro Detroit residents.
According to IQAir’s air quality index, which ranks the worst and best air quality around the world, Detroit has the second worst air quality as of Wednesday morning, with New York in third place.
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Delhi, India was the only city ranked higher than Detroit and New York. An Air Quality Alert was issued for all of SE Michigan.
Air quality does appear to be improving -- by Wednesday afternoon, Detroit had dropped to the No. 13 worst air quality in the world.
Smoke from Canada’s wildfires has been moving into the United States since last month. The most recent fires near Quebec have been burning for at least several days.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said hazy skies, reduced visibility and the odor of burning wood are likely, and that the smoke will linger for a few days in northern states.
Exposure to elevated fine particle pollution levels can affect the lungs and heart.
It’s a good time to put off that yard work and outdoor exercise. If you go out, consider wearing an N95 mask to reduce your exposure to pollutants.
Stay inside, keeping your doors, windows and fireplaces shut. It’s recommended that you run the air conditioning on a recirculation setting.
---> More: Canada wildfires are leading to air-quality alerts in US. Here’s how to stay safe
