Air quality across central and northern New York, and much of the northeast, is likely to stay in the “unhealthy” range Wednesday, thanks to more than 100 wildfires raging in Quebec.
As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, air quality index (AQI) in Syracuse reached 351, classified as “hazardous.” Officials say the AQI will likely fluctuate through the day as smoke moves through the region.
Dr. Kaushal Nanavati, assistant dean of wellness at Upstate Medical University, said this is not something the area is typically prepared for.
“It’s unusual for central New York,” Nanavati said. “In California, other places, you know, they have this periodically or annually in different regions. We’re not used to this.”
Air quality alerts were issued for most of upstate New York beginning Monday, and still remain in place as the smoke continues to make its way south. The state DEC air monitoring website puts Syracuse in the “unhealthy” zone — meaning there is a high concentration of “fine particulate matter” or extremely small particles of everything from carbon monoxide, vapor, ozone and other chemicals.
Nanavati said this is where concern comes from.
“These chemicals aren’t things that we should be inhaling,” Nanavati said. “Particulate matter is really, really small so it gets deeper into the lung tissues and can even get into the bloodstream and lead to making chronic conditions like chronic lung disease, heart disease, worse for people.”
That particulate matter is measured by the term PM2.5, which means particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns.
“For a sense of scale, this is much smaller than the width of a human hair,” said Alistair Hayden, a professor at Cornell University who researches the impact of wildfire smoke on communities. “That’s why you’re not seeing the particles out there. They’re much smaller than the eye can see.”
Hayden said while it may smell like a campfire, it’s a bit more dangerous.
“When you have a campfire and you’re burning wood, a lot of that would just be the ash that has burned from the wood,” he said. “But it can be extra dangerous in a wildfire when it starts burning through communities. Because now you’re not just burning wood. You’re also burning homes, and you can picture things like the television, the cleaning chemicals you have can end up in the PM2.5. Wildfire smoke, especially which has burned through a community, can be really unhealthy to breathe.”
In the United States, air quality is measured by an Air Quality Index (AQI) on a scale of 0-300. The lower the number, the better the air quality. A measurement of 0-50 is considered “Good.” On Tuesday, Syracuse’s AQI measured more than 200 at times, which is considered “Very Unhealthy.”
Because of the air quality issues, many schools have canceled outdoor activities. Health officials say it is safe for kids to be in school, but say administrators should cancel any outdoor activities, like recess or athletic events.
In addition to people with preexisting health conditions, the Onondaga County Health Department advised that children and elderly people limit their exposure to the outdoors until air quality improves.
“The best guidance right now is be indoors if you can, close windows and doors, and then even if you need to be outdoors, limiting your exertion as much as you can would also be helpful,” Dr. Katie Anderson, Onondaga County’s Health Commissioner.
Anderson said for most people, the smoke isn’t much more than a nuisance.
“For most of us walking from work to the car, we’re going to be okay,” she said. “We may feel a little funny from the smoke. You could feel a little lightheaded or you could feel like your breathing is affected. But if you aren’t a high-risk person, your heart and lungs are fine, you’re not elderly, you’re not a child, that short-term exposure should not be significantly bad for you. You should recover and it should be alright.”
Others can help limit their exposure by avoiding strenuous outdoor activity, tightly closing windows and doors and continuing to monitor conditions.
Nanavati also cautioned of mental health risk for people who have to stay cooped up inside. He said people who are prone to depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions should try to connect with friends, loved ones and health professionals to be proactive about seeking out help and support.
For anyone who must spend time outside, masking is recommended.
"If you have an N95 mask and you're gonna have to be outdoors prolonged for a longer time period then you can use that," Nanavati said. "That protects and blocks 95 of the particular matter. Regular masks that you get over the counter don't quite work as well [neither do] wet towels or bandanas. They can block bigger particles, but they don't block the smaller particles, so they're not as good."
