D.C. residents, along with more than 100 million other Americans, are being told to stay inside Thursday after smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed many cities on the East Coast.
According to IQAir, a site that tracks worldwide air quality, D.C. has the second worst air quality out of any major city in the world; Chicago has the worst.
Most Midwestern states, along with Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey are under air quality alerts.
Weather watchers predict a slight decrease in air pollution by the end of Thursday, with further decreases coming Friday and into the weekend.
The wildfire smoke returned to the U.S. this week after at least 30 wildfires broke out in Canada, bringing the total up to nearly 500.
The Midwestern states were especially smothered, with some reporting dangerously reduced visibility in the Great Lakes region.
Events in Minnesota and Pennsylvania were canceled to avoid health risks.
Health experts are urging people to stay inside with the air conditioning on and wear an N95 mask if they must venture out, to avoid inhaling dangerous pollutants.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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