Wed, 08/14/2024 - 10:45am

From the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System: https://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/maps/fm3?type=fwih

Ground-level particle pollution concentrations are expected to reach the ‘Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups’ (USG) level in the Northern Region for today and tomorrow according to Air Quality Meteorologists at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

Smoke began moving into Maine from the north on Tuesday, according to an Aug. 13 news release. Some hourly values were high in the Northern region Tuesday and are continuing to linger Wednesday. Weather conditions are not likely to move the smoke out today or tomorrow.

“As a result, we anticipate that the Northern region's 24-hour average for Wednesday and Thursday will fall within the USG range,” the release said. “Currently, we expect the remainder of the state to be in the Moderate range, but we will continue to monitor the situation.

“It can be challenging to predict smoke levels more than a day in advance. There are currently signs that it will persist past Thursday. At elevated levels of particle pollution, children, the elderly and individuals suffering from respiratory or heart diseases such as asthma, bronchitis or COPD can experience reduced lung function and irritation. In addition, healthy adults who exert themselves outdoors may also notice these health effects. Affected individuals may notice symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, throat irritation and/or experience mild chest pain.”

Some actions to take to protect your health during such periods of include:

Avoiding strenuous outdoor activity
Closing windows and circulating indoor air with a fan or air conditioner
Asthmatics should keep their quick-relief medications and action plan handy

Additional health information may be found on the following websites:

Maine CDC asthma prevention and control
U.S. EPA's asthma control and management
AIRNOW for smoke impacted areas

In addition to those in a sensitive group, others who are responsible for the welfare of people impacted by poor air quality are urged to use one of the listed tools to follow the Air Quality Forecast: