As wildfires continue to burn throughout Canada, smoke from those fires continues to spread throughout upstate New York. The Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 402 as of 11 a.m. Wednesday in Syracuse. This denotes the air quality as "hazardous" and everyone is advised to stay indoors and reduce their activity level.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is recommending school districts cancel any outdoor activities Wednesday amidst air quality warnings.
"Over the past several days, my team and I have been closely monitoring air quality and providing updates to New Yorkers as haze and smoke from Canadian wildfires continue to spread throughout the state," Hochul said in a statement. "The State Department of Environmental Conservation and State Department of Health have issued air quality warnings since Monday, and according to the most recent forecast, much of the state outside of the North Country is expected to be in an air quality index of unhealthy to very unhealthy today. Additionally, my administration has been in contact with the cities of Syracuse, Rochester and New York. I support their decisions and the decisions of other districts to suspend outdoor school activities and strongly urge those who have not yet done so to follow suit."
Hochul said they are sending support to Eastern Canada and cautioned everyone to prepare for the long haul.
"The bottom line is this: If you can stay indoors, stay indoors," Hochul said. "This is detrimental to people's health. In New York state, we have over 1.4 million people who already have asthma. When the air quality is bad, it's a significant risk for these individuals as well as seniors, children. You think about all the people that may be still experiencing the effects of Covid, long Covid, compromising their respiratory system. New York was the epicenter of the Covid pandemic, and this is an issue that is affecting people's ability to breathe."
Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri said all sports activities in the city at all city fields have been canceled for Wednesday.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he is asking the Environmental Protection Agency to work with the state to ensure air quality monitoring across the Upstate region.
"I will continue to carefully monitor this situation and make sure the EPA keeps in close contact with state and local officials, who might have concerns or questions about the smoke, its impacts and its trajectory," Schumer said. "I encourage all New Yorkers, especially those most vulnerable to unhealthy air quality, to follow public safety alerts, take precautions and stay safe.”
The Syracuse Rosamond Gifford Zoo is closed Wednesday because of the AQI levels.
Onondaga Health Commissioner Dr. Katie Anderson said if people do have to spend time outside, they should consider wearing an N95 mask if they have one as it may help limit exposure to the poor air.
"If you have to be outdoors, take frequent breaks and please minimize your exertion," Anderson said. "We advise everyone to stay calm. This is a temporary situation and it will pass likely in the coming days."
Anderson acknowledged it can be unsettling to hear terms like "hazardous" with air quality but said people should remain calm. She said the effects of the poor air quality will be most felt by individuals at highest risk like people with underlying heart and lung diseases.
"For most of us in our community, we may feel a little bit funny with this," Anderson said. "Some of us have been coughing and sneezing. Some may even feel a little bit lightheaded or have a headache, but we don't expect that there are going to be any long-term significant adverse health outcomes [or] that our health will be meaningfully impacted by experiencing these hazardous settings these days."
