Parts of Wisconsin and Milwaukee continue to see a decrease in air quality from Canadian wildfire smoke. Air quality index numbers for Milwaukee have surpassed 200 into the “Very unhealthy” category according to AirNow.gov and IQAir, ranking Milwaukee among the cities with the worst air quality.
People impacted by air quality alerts are at risk of adverse health effects at the current air particle pollution levels, experts warn. That’s particularly true for children, elderly adults and people with asthma and other lung and heart conditions, whose conditions can worsen under current air quality levels.
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Here are tips on how to stay safe and protect your loved ones from decreasing air quality.
What to do when the air quality bad and how to protect yourself
While it is still safe to go outside under hazy skies, the weather service has said “sensitive groups” can be more prone to the effects of polluted air and should be extra cautious when going outside during peak air quality alert hours. Pollution is hazardous at these levels and everyone should take steps to reduce their exposure when particle pollution levels are in this range.
According to AirNow.gov, here are tips especially for people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens to avoid lung irritation and health complications due to increased air pollution:
- Limit outdoor exposure. Avoid strenuous outdoor activities and keep them short. Consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them. Stay indoors in an area with filtered air.
- Protect the air in your home. Keep doors, windows and fireplace dampers shut and preferably with clean air circulating through air conditioners on the recirculation setting.
- Keep an eye on symptoms. Higher levels of smoke in some areas can make breathing more difficult. If you are experiencing symptoms, contact your healthcare provider. Even if you are healthy, you may experience temporary symptoms such as irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat; coughing; phlegm; chest tightness; and shortness of breath. These symptoms should go away when air quality improves.
- Take precautions for kids. Extra precautions should be taken for children and teens, who are more susceptible to smoke. Their lungs are still developing, and they breathe in more air (and consequently more pollution) for their size than adults.
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Even if you don’t belong to an at-risk group, it’s best to take these steps to reduce exposure:
- Choose less strenuous activities (like walking instead of running) so you don’t breathe as hard.
- Shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors.
- Be active outdoors when air quality is better.
Monitor air quality index maps like the ones below to stay up to date on your area. You can also type in your ZIP code or city on the AirNow.gov website.
When will air quality in Wisconsin improve?
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued an air quality alert for Wisconsin through Thursday and air quality is expected to be most severe on Tuesday and Wednesday. The advisory issued Monday is expected to last until Thursday afternoon.
When could the air quality impact me?
Poor air quality won’t impact every person in the same way, said Mark Werner, the director of the bureau of environmental health for the Department of Health Services during an update on Wisconsin’s air Tuesday. If you have cardiovascular, respiratory or other health conditions you may be at an elevated risk for impacts.
As far as impacts from the smoke, it could take up to a week to see a reaction in some cases, Werner said.
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“There can be a lag between when an air quality event occurs and when someone might experience an asthma exacerbation or cardiovascular issue,” he said.
If you’re in one of those high risk groups, make sure to continue monitoring yourself for symptoms, even if the air begins to clear at the end of the week.
Where is worst air quality?:Brookfield and Waukesha now in ‘hazardous’ category
What’s canceled?:Closures linked to Milwaukee’s bad air quality
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY
