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Topline
Officials in New York City canceled all outdoor activities at public schools in the city and issued a health advisory, warning people with respiratory issues to avoid strenuous activities outdoors, as air quality in the city plummeted to “unhealthy” levels due to smoke from hundreds of wildfires in Canada.
The Downtown Manhattan skyline stands shrouded in a reddish haze as a result of Canadian wildfires … [+]
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Key Facts
According to the global air quality tracker IQAir, New York on Tuesday evening overtook New Delhi to become, at least temporarily, the most polluted major city in the world.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow tracker showed the level of PM 2.5—airborne particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter—in the city stood at 213.
This is considered “very unhealthy”—one notch below the most severe “hazardous” category—and more than 14 times worse than the level deemed safe by the WHO.
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The National Weather Service has issued an Air Quality Health visory for New York City and surrounding regions that will remain in effect till 11.59 pm E.T. on Wednesday.
The advisory cites the New York State Department of Health and urges people to “consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity” to avoid adverse health outcomes.
Public schools in the city announced the cancelation of all outdoor activities due to the health advisory.
Tangent
According to the EPA’s AirNow tracker, people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens are advised to avoid all physical activities outdoors when the air quality is “unhealthy.” Other people are asked to “avoid strenuous outdoor activities” and keep any outdoor activities short.
Big Number
418. That is the total number of active fires across Canada as of early Wednesday, 245 of which are uncontrolled, according according to the Canadian Interagency Fire Center’s tracker.
