An air quality health advisory has been issued for Western New York and other regions through late today due to the smoke from ongoing wildfires in Canada.
The advisory will be in effect until 11:59 p.m. tonight for all of Western New York.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton said the department expects the poor air quality to last multiple days. She also said there will likely be air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups, which falls in between 100 to 150 on the Air Quality Index (AQI).
Air quality above the 150 range is deemed unhealthy for all groups.
Sensitive groups include people with medical conditions, such as asthma and heart disease, children, the elderly and pregnant women. Symptoms of exposure include irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, sneezing, a running nose and shortness of breath. Officials said staying indoors may reduce exposure.
New York State Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner James McDonald and Lefton urged people to check the DEC, DOH and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency websites regularly, along with AirNow to see the daily air quality forecast.
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