In the US, air quality has deteriorated significantly due to large-scale wildfires in Canada and the western part of the country. The smoke is expected to last for several more days.
This was reported by CNN.
On Wednesday, August 6, air pollution was warned in several US states due to Canadian wildfires, although the concentration of pollution has decreased compared to Monday, emissions still pose a threat to children, people with lung problems, and the elderly.
Photo: ukrinform.ua
What causes the fire
The intensity of wildfires in Canada and the United States depends on dry air and high winds, along with global warming from fossil fuel use. These factors only allow the fire to spread and cover larger areas.
Experts at the Canadian Interagency Wildfire Center say that more than 500 uncontrolled wildfires have been burning in Canada this week. The smoke from the fires has penetrated south across the U.S. border due to wind gusts. It poses a serious threat to residents of the northern and western United States.
Photo: facebook.com/MNS.GOV.UA.
IQAir experts reported that Detroit, USA, ranked third in the world in terms of air pollution, being at the danger level of 4 out of 6. Chicago is not far behind, where the air quality indicator has significantly decreased.
Smoke ingestion can lead to respiratory problems (bronchitis), pneumonia, which can worsen diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Inspectors from the National Interagency Fire Center say that active wildfires continue in 9-10 western states, but the smoke from them is spreading towards neighboring states.
They predict a decline in the dynamics of fires closer to September, as the United States is still a hot spot on the map for forest fires and smoke spread.
As EcoPolitic wrote earlier, due to large-scale forest fires, the world lost a record number of forests in 2024. Only 6.7 million hectares of tropical rainforests burned.
