Smoke Without Borders
Canadian wildfire smoke spread deep into the United States Thursday, exposing more than 100 million people to unhealthy air and turning a distant fire emergency into a continental public-health crisis.
Wildfire smoke pouring south from Canada blanketed much of the American Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic on Thursday. Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, New York and other major cities faced air-quality alerts, reduced visibility and warnings to limit time outdoors as fine particles reached unhealthy or, in some areas, hazardous levels.
The plume demonstrated how quickly environmental disasters ignore national boundaries. More than 115 million people were potentially exposed, while officials distributed masks, extended access to clean-air centres and urged residents with heart or lung conditions to take special precautions. The smoke is expected to linger into Friday in many areas.
