Air quality alert extended in Michigan because of Canadian wildfire haze. When conditions may improve

Detroit — Lingering haze from Canadian wildfires is expected to continue to cloud Michigan's skies for at least one more day, shifting some outdoor summer programs indoors and prompting local health departments to urge not just vulnerable groups but all residents to take precautions.

Michigan now remains under an air quality alert through Thursday with elevated levels of particulate matter — a danger for sensitive groups, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy announced just after 11 a.m. Wednesday. As of nearly 2 p.m., AirNow.gov reported an air quality index of 229 for Detroit, down from readings of 306 and 337 earlier in the day.

Interactive map:What is the air quality today?

That index put the city within the "hazardous" range, dangerous enough to affect everyone, not just those who are vulnerable to air pollution. When air quality is hazardous, Airnow.gov recommends everyone avoid all physical activity outdoors. Nevertheless, road work crews were busy Wednesday afternoon on a Woodward Avenue reconstruction project in Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge.

Air quality index measurements are a color-coded way for residents to identify levels of sustained air pollution in their area.

Dense fog from smoke plumes limited visibility to a quarter mile or less Wednesday morning in southeast Michigan, prompting the National Weather Service to urge motorists to slow down. The visibility restrictions lifted by late morning.

"We are seeing an increase in ER visits and hospitalizations for these air-quality related illnesses," said Dr. Jaime Hope, medical director of emergency medicine at the Beaumont Outpatient Campus in Livonia, in a statement. "The levels have fluctuated between being unhealthy for sensitive and vulnerable patients to being unhealthy and potentially dangerous to everyone, regardless of health status.

More:Wildfire haze closes some Metro Detroit pools, pushes camps indoors

The Detroit Health Department said health effects of particle pollution exposure can range from relatively minor conditions such as eye and respiratory tract irritation to more serious health effects such as asthma, heart failure and premature death. Older adults, pregnant women, children and people with preexisting respiratory and heart conditions may be more likely to get sick if they breathe in wildfire smoke, the agency said.

“We are continually monitoring the situation and are in close contact with our partners at EGLE, the city’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, as well as the city’s Environmental Division,” said Christina Floyd, Detroit's acting chief public health officer, in a statement.

Medical experts weigh precautions

If going outside is unavoidable, use an N95 mask, which filters out a lot of the particulate matter, said Dr. Devang Doshi, a Corewell Health East pulmonologist-allergist at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.

"If you have to be outside, wearing that mask is at least going to protect and clean some of the air and those particulate matter, so we're not inhaling all of those particles," Doshi said.

Higher-risk residents, though, are those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and other lung issues, Doshi said. But he warned even healthy residents are not exempt from the effects of unclean air.

"Even healthy patients that don't have other health issues going out and inhaling air that's not healthy or clean can develop burning of their eyes; burning in their nasal passages; runny nose; congestion; sneezing; and or cough or chest tightness."

The amount of time spent outside along with outdoor activities could determine how someone is impacted, from irritation to inflammation, he said.

"For someone going out to ride their bike or running, they're going to be inhaling quite a bit more of the particles by exercising or walking briskly in these conditions," Doshi said.

Individuals who experience trouble breathing should contact their doctors or go to their nearest emergency department because urgent care centers "might not be equipped to handle respiratory and cardiac emergencies," Beaumont's Hope said.

More:Rain has failed to quell Canadian wildfires, and more smoky haze is on the way, officials say

Raquel Garcia, executive director of Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision, encouraged residents to sign up for air quality notifications so they know when to take steps to protect themselves from hazardous air. That’s particularly important for people who have health issues like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Garcia recommended the JustAir app, found at https://justair.app, which was founded in 2021 by a team led by CEO Darren Riley who developed asthma after living in southwest Detroit.

Garcia also said people should tell community police officers and community groups if they see local pollution sources contributing to poor air quality and take pictures of the polluters. Examples could include trucks with idling engines or dust emanating from local facilities or piles, she said.

“I really hope that folks are engaging with their elected officials and decisionmakers and sending postcards to all the critical people who can assist in making policy, as well as just really taking care of their bodies and themselves and learning about it and taking action to protect themselves,” Garcia said. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends people take the following steps to protect themselves from hazardous air quality caused by particulate matter pollution and wildfire smoke:

• Avoid spending time outdoors or doing strenuous activities outdoors.
• Wear an N95 mask outdoors.
• Stay indoors with the doors and windows closed.
• Use HEPA air filters in your HVAC system.
• Buy or make a portable air filter.
• Avoid creating more particle pollution by using energy efficiently, driving less and not burning leaves or garbage.

The California Air Resources Board has instructions for building a temporary air purifier out of a box fan, a furnace filter and duct tape. Montana health and environmental agencies created an instructional video that shows how to build the filters.

To build a temporary air purifier, the air resources board recommends attaching a high-efficiency air filter with a MERV 13 rating or higher to the back of a box fan using duct tape or a bungee cord, with the arrow on the filter pointing toward the fan, in the same direction as airflow. To use it, the board recommends closing windows and doors and running the filter inside and changing the filter when it gets dirty.

The board recommends using box fans manufactured in or after 2012 because they are more resistant to electrical fires.

Detroit had world's worst air

Michigan's unhealth air on Wednesday came after Detroit's air quality on Tuesday was ranked the world's worst, according to one measure. IQAir’s Air Quality Index initially ranked Chicago first with an air quality index in the 170s, securing a spot in the unhealthy category of 151-200.

But late Tuesday, Detroit surpassed it at 203. Chengdu, China and Delhi, India placed third and fourth, according to the website late Tuesday. Toronto, Canada was fifth. IQAir works to fight air pollution, operates "the world's largest free real-time air quality information platform," according to its website.

As of Wednesday afternoon, IQAir ranked Chicago No.1 with the worst air quality with an air quality index of 193. Detroit was No. 5 at 162.

Thursday will mark the third day in a row for statewide air quality alerts from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

But the haze didn't seem to affect travelers flying in and out of Detroit.

Detroit Metro Airport on Wednesday reported that there were minimal cancellations Wednesday morning just before 9 a.m., according to Matt Morawski, an airport spokesman. The cause of the cancellations wasn't clear. 

Fifty-nine flights were cancelled out of Detroit Metro Airport in the last 24 hours, according to data reported on FlightAware.com.

"(Wednesday morning) was really business as usual. ... Operations right now are normal," Morawski said.

Action plans needed

Large wildfires have become more common since 1980, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, coinciding with many of the country’s warmest years on record. The fires also have increasingly caused severe damage to the landscape.

Climate change is causing wildfires to intensify by increasing the length of wildfire season and increasing the frequency and size of wildfires, the EPA said.

That means state governments need to develop plans for dealing with smoke that causes unhealthy air quality, said Nick Leonard, executive director of the great Lakes Environmental Law Center. State and local governments can’t control distant wildfires, but they can regulate local sources of pollution and build robust public transit systems to get drivers – and their engines – off the roadways.

Still, there will be days like Wednesday, with abysmal local air quality caused by something outside of the state, he said.

"There's just going to be times when we can’t get a handle on the problem and it’s going to get out of control," Leonard said. "So giving people the tools and places to go to protect themselves is going to be more and more important."

State and local governments should make sure schools, daycares and community centers have air filtration systems that make indoor air quality safe, create shelters with filtered air ― like cooling shelters on sweltering days ― and give air filters for residents to use at home, he said. He also encouraged state and local agencies to develop plans for publicizing air quality warnings.

"We've had a few of these now this summer. I get, the first time, it's like we haven't really experienced something like this before," he said. "But now we're getting into the second and third one, I think we need to be doing better on that front."

jaimery@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @wordsbyjakkar