Smoke from Canadian wildfires reached New York City and other parts of the Northeast on Wednesday, posing risks to residents’ respiratory health.
The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert for New York City and nearby suburbs in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Wednesday. Young children, elderly people, and those with respiratory diseases like asthma are advised to avoid strenuous activities in the afternoon and early evening. New Yorkers can check up-to-date air quality at AirNow.
New York City has experienced the effects of Canadian wildfires before, most notably in June 2023, when the city was shrouded in smoky orange clouds. Public health and environmental researchers later identified an association with the degraded air quality and a spike in emergency department visits in the city for asthma…