Health experts are warning millions to stay home and avoid exposure to the dangerous smog engulfing the east coast.
New York City has become one of the most polluted cities in the world due to the smoke that is the result of over 400 rampant wildfires over the Canadian border.
After first falling over New York City Wednesday morning, the smoke continued to spread across New Jersey and Pennsylvania throughout the evening. A southerly wind will sweep through several mid-Atlantic states on Thursday, with fog expected to cover Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington and the Carolinas.
The smoke consists of dangerous nanoparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream, and people have reported side effects such as eye and throat irritation and breathing problems.
A University of Berkeley study found that increased air pollution can be disastrous, as some residents of the Northeast are currently breathing air equivalent to smoking an entire pack of cigarettes a day.
Air pollution levels have led some Americans to breathe air equivalent to a pack of cigarettes. According to the figures, 64 AQI points correspond to one cigarette as of Thursday morning
A jogger braves New York’s poor air quality as the sun rises over One World Trade Center on Thursday morning
A map of the impact of wildfire smoke on east coast air quality. Purple areas are considered “dangerous”, red is “unhealthy”, orange is “unhealthy for sensitive groups” and yellow is “moderate”.
The conspicuous smoky hue sparked fears millions of Americans could be at risk from air pollution, particularly the elderly, pregnant women and children.
And the level of risk to a person’s respiratory health can be equated to the risk of cigarette smoking, using internationally recognized Air Quality Index (AQI) values to quantify the hazard.
AQI scores measure the safety of breathing the atmosphere by monitoring particles smaller than 2.5 microns in size, in addition to factors such as wind speed and temperature.
Values range from 0 to 500, with anything above 300 being considered “dangerous” – a value that numerous metropolitan areas on the east coast have reached in recent days.
On Thursday, Windsor Township — about 70 miles west of Philadelphia — was the hardest-hit area, hitting a shocking 457 rating. That dwarfs the notoriously poor air quality in Delhi, India, with a rating of 316.
According to an online calculator created as part of a University of Berkeley study, it was found that an AQI score of 64 means one cigarette was smoked in 24 hours.
In recent days, air quality index readings have skyrocketed across America, with many cities climbing above 200 – which is classified as “very unhealthy”.
The smoky yellow haze enveloped New York City on Wednesday, June 7th
New York’s Yankee Stadium pictured in the hazy conditions before a game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox that has since been postponed due to poor air quality
NYC: The Brooklyn Bridge is seen at dusk in hazy weather early Thursday morning
Upscaled, that calculation found that the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which was among the hardest-hit areas Thursday, had an AQI score of 361.
This meant that Harrisburg residents were breathing air equivalent to smoking 18 cigarettes, a worrying number surpassed only by Lancaster, PA, which reached 25 cigarettes.
In Wilmington, Delaware, air quality dropped to the level of smoking about ten cigarettes, and in Arlington, Virginia, it was nine.
Non-smokers in Washington DC will be dissatisfied when they hear their air equaled that of 11 cigarettes while in New York City it was six cigarettes.
All figures used to calculate pollution levels are from Thursday morning, and several cities saw AQI levels fluctuate throughout the day.
Pandemic-era masks were back in New York City after health officials urged residents to protect themselves from the pollution
WASHINGTON, DC: Members of the Marine Corps Honor Guard rehearse as the sun rises over a thick layer of smoke, Thursday, June 8, 2023
As the smoke rose, a major New York hospital group told that some people came in with eye or throat irritation, chest pain or shortness of breath.
During a state visit by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, President Joe Biden said he would send over 600 firefighters and staff to Canada to help fight the wildfires.
“Yesterday I spoke to Prime Minister Trudeau and offered any additional assistance Canada needs to rapidly accelerate efforts to combat these fires, particularly in Quebec where the fires are having the most immediate impact on American communities,” he said in a statement .
“I have directed the National Interagency Fire Center to respond promptly to Canadian requests for additional firefighters and firefighting assets such as air tankers.”
“I have asked Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg to keep me updated on his progress to ensure we proactively manage the impact of deteriorating air quality on air travel based on lessons learned from previous incidents.”
“Stay safe and follow directions from your local officials.”