With heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires continuing to choke the air, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) extended an air quality alert through Saturday, July 18, “for elevated levels of fine particulate due to wildfire smoke.”
According to the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, concentrations on Friday will range from “very unhealthy” in southern areas of Michigan to “hazardous in the north.”
“On Saturday, concentrations will range from unhealthy for sensitive groups in the south to very unhealthy in northern portions of the state.”
This is a statewide air quality alert.
“Plumes of smoke from Canadian wildfires continue to drift across the region. Elevated fine particulate due to the smoke will continue through Saturday. The threat of increased ozone may come into play Saturday as well.
“Everyone should seek cleaner air indoors and keep activity levels low. While indoors, take action to improve the indoor air quality such as:
- Closing windows and minimize opening of doors
- If HVAC systems are not equipped with MERV-13 filters or higher, use portable air cleaners
- Avoid activities that make indoor air quality worse: burning candles, using vacuums without a HEPA filter, using gas stoves more than necessary, smoking, spraying aerosol products.
If you must be outdoors for short periods of time:
- Wear an N95 or P100 respirator marked with NIOSH. The respirator should fit tightly, collapse as you breathe in and not let air in from the sides.
- Do not use masks for children under age 2.”
For up-to-date air quality data for Michigan visit: Michigan.gov/MiAir.
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