CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago area is under an air quality alert until Friday night due to the Canadian wildfire smoke.

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Environmental officials said the pollutants from the smoke will be sticking around the area through at least Friday at midnight.

Most of the Chicago area are under the “unhealthy for all” category. Residents are urged to limit outdoor time.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency declared an “Air Pollution Action Day” for the greater Chicago area, with special attention to those most vulnerable, including children, the elderly and pregnant women.

The alert was in effect for northern and northeast Illinois and Northwest Indiana.

A tracker with the latest updates on air quality levels for areas across the state can be found on the AirNow government website.

Who is at risk?

Children, and those with pulmonary or respiratory diseases such as asthma, are recommended to limit their time outdoors.

“If you can see it, guess what? You’re breathing it in, so we have to be careful,” said Dr. Juanita Mora, National Medical Spokesperson for the American Lung Association.

The warning is a result of the smoke from Canadian wildfires, bringing potentially dangerous pollutants with it to the Midwest.

“For those group of patients or people, we recommend that they avoid being outdoors right now because that can create some potential breathing problems, particularly for people who have lung disease or heart disease,” said Dr. Momen Wahidi, a Northwestern Medicine Pulmonologist.

Doctors also recommended for people to wear a mask if they have to be outside as the haze lingers, and when they get home, make sure to change clothes, shower, and do whatever possible to get any pollutants off.