Smoke from Canadian wildfires creates unhealthy conditions from Montana to Ohio

Staff and wire report

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency posted air quality alerts for several states stretching from Montana to Ohio Sunday because of smoke blowing in from Canadian wildfires.

“Air Quality alerts are in place for much of the Great Lakes, Midwest, and northern High Plains,” the National Weather Service said Sunday. “This is due to the lingering thick concentration of Canadian wildfire smoke over these regions. While the concentration of smoke in the atmosphere should begin to wain by Monday, there is still enough smoke to support unhealthy air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups in parts of these regions into the start of the upcoming week.”

The haze started to show in north-central Montana Friday.

The air quality monitoring station for Havre, available online at https://todaysair.mtdeq.us, showed Havre and Malta as in “unhealthy” status this morning, along with the station in Miles City. Stations in Cut Bank, Great Falls, Sidney and Broadus listed conditions as unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Lewistown and Billings were listed as with moderate levels of particle pollution Sunday morning, while most stations west of the divide, and in Helena, were listed as in good condition other than Libby, which was listed in moderate levels.

The 48-hour listing on the Havre monitoring station Sunday morning showed the conditions going into unhealthy Saturday, dipping back into “unhealthy for sensitive groups” Saturday night than back into “unhealthy” early Sunday morning.

The “Today’s Air” page on the DEQ website says “Unhealthy” means some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.

“Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” is described as “Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected.”

The U.S. EPA’s AirNow air quality page rated the air in Chicago as “unhealthy” as of 8 a.m. Mountain Time Sunday. And in Michigan, state environmental officials said the air “is unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services advised people in the state to check the Air Quality Index regularly to decide if they should be participating in outdoor activities.

The Indianapolis Office of Sustainability issued a Knozone Action Day for Sunday, saying people throughout central Indiana should avoid time spent outdoors as much as possible, especially active children, the elderly, anyone who is pregnant, and those with asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary diseas), emphysema, heart disease or COVID-19. Sensitive groups were warned to remain indoors Sunday and refrain from activities that degrade indoor air quality, including burning candles and vacuuming.

Health officials have recommended people can stay safe by taking steps such as wearing a mask, staying indoors and keeping indoor air clean.