The White House on Wednesday urged people with vulnerable health to “take precautions” as several American cities are on alert over air pollution from Canada.
Manhattan under an orange veil. The images, taken in New York this Wednesday, June 7th, appear straight out of a sci-fi movie. Intimidating skies and air pollution direct from Canada.
More than 150 fires are currently active in the province of Quebec – including nearly a hundred that are considered out of control. Historic fires unlikely to stop until heavy rain hits next week. The disaster was so great that even France sent firefighters to help the Canadians. Consequence of this fire wave: The air is not breathable, both in Canada and in the Northeast of the USA.
“The visibility is very, very difficult and the air is really unbreathable,” said Estelle, a French tourist who is in New York. “We feel like we’ve had a big barbecue.”
The latter evokes “a smoky taste” that pervades Americans’ mouths and noses, with the other effect “the eyes that sting and are extremely irritated.”
“Potentially Dangerous”
Bruno Crestani, Head of the Department of Pneumology at the Bichat Hospital in Paris and President of the Fondation du Souffle, informs our branch about the health risks posed by this polluted air.
“It is potentially dangerous if you are asthmatic, if you have a respiratory disease, if you are a chronic bronchopath, if you are very old or, on the contrary, if you are a small baby, you can have respiratory consequences,” lists the pulmonologist on BFMTV.
The doctor reminds of the danger of forest fires, which are “particularly toxic”. “Their content is different: there are gases, but also fine and ultrafine particles that can travel very far and get into the lungs and circulate in the blood,” he explains.
“It can lead to cardiovascular problems. It has been shown that in the days after such exposure for a few hours or days, strokes and strokes, heart attacks, flare-ups of heart failure can occur…” Bruno Crestani continues at our antenna.
Wearing a mask and glasses can be useful
Estelle, present in New York, tells on our antenna that “more and more people are wearing masks in the streets”. A ridiculous move? “Not at all,” says the pulmonologist.
“Depending on the size of the particles, your mask will be more or less effective,” specifies Bruno Crestani, judging the surgical mask as “virtually ineffective on fine particles” but useful on other larger particles: “You will have less irritation of the respiratory tract. “ Gastrointestinal tract, but not much will change for the nose. Another not-so-stupid idea: wear glasses “to avoid irritation of the conjunctiva.”
But the smoke caused by the Canadian fires did not end in New York either: the deterioration of the air could also be observed in Washington DC, the federal capital of the United States, where the White House is located. When asked about this pollution, US Executive Branch spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre replied that President Joe Biden had been updated on the development of these fires and urged Americans with vulnerable health to take “precautions” against air pollution .
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, for 100 million people, from Chicago in the northeast to Atlanta in the south, “air quality in this area is primarily affected by Canadian fires.”
Hugues Garnier with AFP journalist BFMTV