WEB DESK
Smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to trigger air quality alerts in U.S. states, with health officials warning people, especially children, the elderly, or those with respiratory conditions, to limit their time outdoors. More than 111 million people in the United States were living under air quality alerts due to the fires, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday, June 8.
The Biden administration postponed its Pride Month event, which had been expected to be the largest celebration for LGBTQ people in the White House’s history. In a statement, President Joe Biden called it a stark reminder of climate change. Biden said that he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and that he directed the National Interagency Fire Centre to address Canada’s requests for additional firefighters and fire suppression tools such as air tankers to help with the ongoing brush fires.
In some areas, the air quality index (AQI), which measures major pollutants including particulate matter produced by fires, was well above 400, according to Airnow, which sets 100 as “unhealthy” and 300 as “hazardous.” On Thursday, at noon, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was recording the worst air quality index, with an AQI reading of 410. Among major cities, New York had the highest AQI in the world on Wednesday afternoon at 342 according to IQAir. A level of 50 or under is considered good and anything over 300 is considered hazardous.