Canadian Wildfires Bad for Your Health?

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The hazy skies have mostly cleared, for now.

But the smoke from the Canadian wildfires is still affecting the area.

Alaska and Western Canada are experiencing one of the earliest and worst fire seasons in years.

This is causing high amounts of air pollution in our region that can cause poor health.

Inhaling lingering smoke and haze can trigger health issues, especially for those who have pre-existing conditions.

Doctors say it is important to take precautions.

“When you can actually see a lot of haze that is coming all the way down to ground level, you actually smell the burning in the air… those are probably days where you should spend less time outdoors,” said Dr. Fatima Khan, Allergist at Altru.
 
Overexposure to polluted air can cause shortness of breath, eye irritation, and you can get sick easier.
 
The National Weather Service in Grand Forks says the north winds help push away the smoke and haze we saw last week, although the F-M area can expect to see more on the way
 
“Underneath that high pressure center, and that high pressure center is supposed to move over us tomorrow so when that comes…a little hard to tell, but we can see a return of smokey conditions,” said Jennifer Ritterling of The National Weather Service.
 
Kathy Hill and her husband are visiting Grand Forks from Indiana.

They didn’t have any physical symptoms due to the haze but they say it was something they’ve never experienced before.
 
“It wasn’t really bad.  It seemed like as it became later in the evening we were able to smell it more and the haze so that was our first time actually experiencing anything like that,” said Kathy Hill.

According to the EPA, air quality in Fargo was the worst in the nation on Saturday.

The sky has cleared for now, but as the new wave of smoke is expected to hit again, doctors are advising  you to take precautions.