NYC Air Quality Reaches Dangerous Heights Due to Pollution from Canada

Luis Díaz, a construction worker, woke up with a scratchy throat, because yesterday, like millions of people, the polluted air from Canada caught him off guard and without a mask…

“Yesterday we were working and we thought that something happened here in the city of Manhattan because it was all cloudy and covered up,” Díaz said. “I work in a building, we couldn’t see anything and we had to go downstairs and work was suspended that day.”

-And it affected him, do you say to the throat?

“It affected our throat because you can’t breathe, I have a bit of a throat problem, the same with my nose.”

“We have a burning throat because of the weather situation that was very strong yesterday,” said another neighbor.

According to experts, the air quality in the city of NY reached the highest ranking of the most polluted cities in the world due to the concentration of particles less than 2.5 microns due to smoke, coming from the Quebec area in Canada.

For this reason, the authorities issued a health warning and maintain an alert for poor air quality that can be extended for several more days, for which they recommend the use of masks.

“We returned to the mask, again, again, this is one’s life now,” said Irene Rivera.

-But better to protect yourself?

“Sure, you still have to put the mask on, don’t take it off, leave it on, to make sure everything is okay.”

Governor Kathy Hochul ordered that one million masks be distributed to New Yorkers, which are being delivered in public places such as the subway, bus terminals, parks and wherever people need them.

Rhodes.

“After the scare we went through with COVID, now this… we really don’t know what is happening or how it is going to affect our health,” said Sean Rhodes, building super.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that wildfire smoke contains a mixture of gases such as carbon monoxide and fine particles that come from burning trees and plants, so it can be very harmful to people who breathe it. .

Although to a lesser degree compared to yesterday, poor air quality still persists today, so experts recommend that you wear a mask and try to be outdoors as little as possible.