Smoke hangs over the Chrysler Building and One Vanderbilt as the sun sets in New York City on June 6, 2023, looking northeast from the Empire State Building.
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New York City had some of the worst air pollution in the world on Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires continued to drift across the region, casting a second day of orange haze over the city and prompting some residents to wear masks outdoors.
City officials advised residents to limit outdoor activity on Wednesday and warned that children, the elderly and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions are especially vulnerable. Schools in the city opened but no outdoor activities as air quality was expected to worsen throughout the day.
On Tuesday, the city had the worst air quality rating of any city in the world. IQAir World Air Quality Index, the lowest level since the 1960s. As of Wednesday noon, city ranks fourth The AQI is 158, a level considered unhealthy for all residents.
On June 6, 2023, in New York City, the United States, a man wearing a mask sits at a bus stop. New York City issued a health advisory on Tuesday as smoke from wildfires in Canada affected the city’s air quality. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Selcuk Akar | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Wildfire smoke releases fine particulate matter called PM2.5, which can enter the lungs and cause health problems such as asthma and bronchitis. PM2.5 concentrations in New York City are currently 15 times higher than the World Health Organization’s annual air quality guidelines.
The New York State Department of Environmental Protection has issued air quality health advisories for all five boroughs. City officials said they expected the warning to remain in place for the next few days, but added that predicting smog conditions was particularly difficult.
At a news conference Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams urged vulnerable residents to stay indoors and said hazardous air quality conditions were expected to temporarily improve late tonight into Thursday morning, but continued to worsen Thursday afternoon and evening.
Smoke billows as people cross 34th Street in Herald Square, New York City, June 6, 2023.
Gary Hershorn | Corbis News | Getty Images
“This may be the first time we’re experiencing something of this magnitude,” Adams said. “Climate change is accelerating these conditions. We must continue to reduce emissions, improve air quality and build resilience.”
Canada is about to experience its worst wildfire season on record, with more than 400 active wildfires currently burning in nearly all Canadian provinces and territories. Federal officials said last week that wildfires had burned more than 6.7 million acres. Some 26,000 people were under evacuation orders.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada has drifted south and prompted air pollution warnings across the country.
The sun rises in a hazy, smoky sky due to the Canadian wildfires in New York City, USA, on June 7, 2023. (Photo: Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Lokman Vural Elibol/ | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Millions of people in the Midwest are experiencing hazardous air quality conditions, and air quality advisories have been issued for parts of southeastern Minnesota, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin. Air quality alerts were also issued for much of New England.
The National Weather Service said in a forecast that the smoke was expected to persist through Wednesday and continue to move westward.
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires around the world, as is air pollution from wildfire smoke.Last year, researchers at Stanford University set up Millions of Americans are routinely exposed to wildfire smoke pollution at levels that were rare only a decade ago.