Air quality alerts were in effect across three states on Monday morning, with residents of Michigan, Minnesota and South Carolina warned of potential health impacts.
Why It Matters
Health officials say that vulnerable populations—such as children, older adults and individuals with existing respiratory issues—face heightened risks during periods of poor air quality.
What To Know
In Michigan and Minnesota, alerts were issued due to smoke impacts from Canadian wildfires, a notice posted by the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
Michigan counties affected included Mackinac, Chippewa, Menominee, Keweenaw, Dickinson, Iron, Marquette, Baraga, Schoolcraft, Houghton, Delta, Ontonagon, Gogebic, Luce and Alger.
“It is recommended that, when possible, you avoid strenuous outdoor activities, especially those with heart disease and respiratory diseases such as asthma,” read the alert.
The entirety of Minnesota was also under air quality alert.
“A cold front will continue to drag smoke from large wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan southward into Minnesota. This will be a long duration event with multiple rounds of smoke expected,” read the air quality alert for Minnesota.
A round of smoke was expected to arrive on Monday, it said, adding that the alert could potentially be extended as additional smoke waves were possible.
Sensitive groups were advised to limit prolonged or heavy exertion, with authorities also cautioning against activities that contribute to air pollution, such as outdoor burning.
“Keep windows closed overnight to prevent smoke from getting indoors,” the alert added.
Meanwhile, an air quality alert had been issued for Catawba and Upstate regions of South Carolina.
The alert said that weather conditions were expected to cause high ozone pollution levels.
“This has been further compounded by higher than projected ozone readings from over the weekend and an influence from interactions with the Canadian wildfire smoke that has poured across the Plains and Southeast,” it added.
What People Are Saying
Professor of pediatric respiratory and environmental medicine Jonathan Grigg, with Queen Mary University of London, previously told Newsweek: “There are vulnerable groups and classically they are children because they’ve got an extra issue to do with their lungs developing, whereas our lungs are not developing as adults.
“Their trajectory can be deviated so they don’t actually achieve their maximum lung function.”
There are also “very clear links” between inhaling particles and earlier death from both respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, Grigg said.
Additionally, Grigg said conditions such as asthma are also exacerbated by exposure to air pollution.
What Happens Next
At the time of writing, Minnesota’s air quality alerts were set to remain in effect until 6 p.m. on Monday, while in South Carolina, the alert is to last until 8 p.m.
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