The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it is continuing its statewide Air Quality Advisory for at least another day.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to adversely impact air quality. Children, elderly residents, and people living with asthma, COPD, or other respiratory issues are urged to stay indoors as much as possible, the agency said.
An air quality advisory remained in effect until midnight Thursday for a region that includes the Toledo area, the National Weather Service said earlier in the evening. The advisory covers Lucas, Wood, Ottawa, Sandusky, Erie, Hancock, Seneca, Huron, Trumbull, Wyandot, Crawford, Richland, Ashland, Wayne, Stark, Mahoning, Marion, Morrow, Holmes, and Knox counties. This includes multiple regional communities such as Toledo, Bowling Green, Perrysburg, Port Clinton, Oak Harbor, Genoa, Fremont, Bellevue, Clyde, Sandusky, Huron, Findlay, Tiffin, and Fostoria.
The Ohio EPA continued the statewide Air Quality Advisory for Thursday due to the smoke. Particulate levels are expected to remain elevated through Friday, the weather service said.
For real-time air quality in your area, visit the AirNow website. Its dashboard showed Toledo experiencing a moderate problem with particulate matter as of noon Thursday.
Toledo’s Division of Environmental Services, which monitors local air quality for the Ohio EPA, likewise urges caution, as does the Southeast Michigan Area Council of Governments.
“The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has noted that smoke from wildfires in Canada is blanketing the region and negatively impacting air quality,” SEMCOG said in a news release. “While the smoke persists, air quality will remain in a range that is unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff also urged Ohioans to be aware of possible health effects due to the poor air quality in the state caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires.
“Exposure to smoke can cause health problems for anyone, but certain groups are more at risk than others,” Dr. Vanderhoff said. “These include people with chronic heart or lung disease, children, the elderly, and pregnant women. It is important to take precautions until our air quality improves.”
Smoke from wildfires contains particulate matter. According to the U.S. EPA and others, the finest of those particles — those which are 2.5 microns or less, thinner than a strand of human hair — are the most troublesome because they get sucked deep into lung tissue. Larger ones are more easy for humans to filter out.
Particulates also can irritate the eyes, nose or throat. Coughing, shortness of breath, and chest pain can result, according to the ODH, which also said the particles can aggravate chronic heart and lung conditions.
The agency said the most important precaution is to limit outdoor activity, especially outdoor exercise, and to spend more time indoors.
Here are some other ODH-provided tips:
• Spend time in a room you can close off from outside air.
• Avoid using candles, gas, propane, wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, and aerosol sprays. Frying or broiling meat, smoking tobacco products, and vacuuming may worsen indoor air pollution.
• Use high-efficiency filters in your air conditioning system to capture fine particles from smoke. If your system has a fresh air intake, set the system to recirculate mode or close the outdoor intake damper.
• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. If your eyes, nose or throat are irritated, running a humidifier may provide some relief.
• Check on friends and loved ones who are more at risk and keep a watch on children.
Those with asthma are encouraged to follow their asthma action plans. People should make sure they have enough medication for several day, the ODH said.
First Published June 8, 2023, 6:35 p.m.
