WASHINGTON – The cities of Washington DC and Chicago woke up this Thursday with the least healthy air quality indices on the planet due to the smoke that has covered the northeast of the United States, coming from the fires that have been quelling Canada for weeks.
According to the website that monitors air quality, IQAair, both Chicago and Washington DC today top the list of unhealthiest cities, which also includes cities such as Detroit, Minneapolis or New York.
The Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management of the US capital reported through social networks that Washington DC will be under “code red” today, with “reduced visibility” and “very bad air quality” that can be harmful to people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and adolescents.
Therefore, he recommended wearing masks for those who suffer from respiratory diseases and not doing physical activity outdoors.
Chicago woke up in similar circumstances, although storms are expected for the next few hours that will improve the situation.
Despite the poor quality of the air these days, it is not as bad as on June 8, when the purple and maroon codes (the most severe) were reached, a situation that notably affected cities such as Washington or New York, which They were covered for days in a mist through which iconic buildings such as the Empire State Building or the US Capitol could not be seen.
Across Canada, there are some 480 active fires and since the start of the year the flames have consumed eight million hectares, or 80,000 square kilometers, more than what would normally burn in a year.
Canadian authorities have indicated that this is the worst wildfire season in the country’s modern history due to climate change.
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