Canadian wildfires have resulted in smoke moving into many parts of Michigan, including Genesee County. Due to the changing weather patterns, predictions of peak air quality severity in Genesee County are projected to occur Friday, June 9.
Smaller particles from these wildfires can easily get into a person’s lungs. The level of these small particles are what is tracked by air quality alerts. The air quality alert is expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (orange) range through Friday, June 9th, with some hourly concentrations in the Unhealthy (red) range as more smoke arrives in Michigan.
We know that the number of children with asthma, and adults with other respiratory disease is higher in the greater Flint area. People with lung disease, such as asthma, COPD or emphysema, or any type of heart condition, older adults in general, pregnant women, children, and teenagers should:
• Keep outdoor activities short.
• Try and keep physical activities indoors or consider rescheduling them.
Everyone should choose less strenuous activities, such as walking instead of running, and shorten the time you spend outdoors. Keep windows closed during air quality alerts. Even healthy
adults can be affected by these high level of particles in the air.
Follow air quality levels in your specific area at this website AirNow http://airnow.gov/. It will
show you the current level of air quality in your city and also provides additional tips for staying safe
during an air quality alert.
