Canada wildfire smoke threatens Michigan air quality — again
Air-quality officials have issued another alert of bad air headed for metro Detroit. The new warning says that Tuesday’s air for much of Michigan's Lower Peninsula will be dangerously loaded with fine particles carried by winds from wildfires in Canada.
Besides affecting metro Detroit, the alert covers Pontiac, Ann Arbor and many other cities in a swath from Monroe in the south to the Thumb area and north as far as Bay City.
“Smoke originating from wildfires in west and central Canada will move across the state,” says the alert from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
“Sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease including asthma, heart disease, children and older adults should limit prolonged or heavy exertion,” says the alert. Even healthy individuals should think twice before undertaking prolonged outdoor chores or extended bouts of exercise, say health experts.
To avoid making conditions worse, air-quality groups advised Michiganders:
∎ Don't add more smoke. Cancel bonfires and other outdoor burning, including the use of residential wood burning devices such as backyard fire pits. Gas grilling is less of a polluter than charcoal barbecuing, which adds more fine particles to the air, according to online health sites.
∎Curtail fossil fuel exhaust. Reduce your driving, try to postpone refueling and don’t allow your vehicle to idle. Shut off the engine of a vehicle that’s stationary.
∎Keep indoor air clean. Close windows overnight to prevent smoke from getting indoorsand, if possible, run central air conditioning with filters rated MERV-13 or higher.
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Canada's wildfires are burning largely out of control in wilderness areas, according to news releases. Maps show seemingly the entire country pocked with wildfires, with concentrations in the west and northeast.
Winds expected Monday night and Tuesday will carry into Michigan's Lower Peninsula not just the smell of the fires but also hazardous invisible “fine particulates,” which can penetrate deep into the lungs and remain there permanently, according a health advisory from SEMCOG – the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
Contact Bill Laytner: blaitner@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan air quality threatened by Canada wildfires — again
