Air Quality Alert in effect for most of Chicago area through Friday
Wildfire smoke filled Chicago skies on Thursday, impacting Lollapalooza day one. There is an Air Quality Alert through Friday.
CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago had the worst air quality in the world on Thursday.
There is an Air Quality Alert for most of the area through Friday.
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The air quality alert comes due to Canadian wildfire smoke making its way into the area.
IQAir.com ranked Chicago the worst in the world at 11:30 a.m.
The Environmental Protection Agency issued an Air Quality Alert for most of the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana through Friday.
The biggest concerns come with active children or adults who have any sort of respiratory diseases like asthma.
Of course there are many summer time activities that have people outside. Dr. Brady Scott, a program director from Rush University, says listening to your body is the best thing you can do.
“In a situation where maybe you’re short, feeling shortness of breath or something you’ve never felt before, you know the question is, what do you do?” Dr. Scott said. “So you can you go inside, perhaps, where it’s cooler, where the air is cleaner, and try to calm down and relax and try to reduce strenuous activity, if that’s what caused the issue. If you’re really concerned, I mean, my advice is, if you’re really concerned, and you know your body, then you might want to seek medical attention.”
It was busy day in Chicago Thursday with the first day of Lollapalooza bringing in large crowds, but wildfire smoke made things a bit hazy for those at the festival.
“Without the smoke it would be lit… gets in my lungs a bit to be honest,” a Lolla attendee said.
Doctors say an N95 mask can help people outside, and people at home should make sure filters are fresh so that air conditioning is working at its best.
The smoke also caused low visibility in some areas due to it coming down to the lower levels of the atmosphere, ABC7 Chicago meteorologist Jaisol Martinez said.
Children and adults with pulmonary or respiratory diseases, such as asthma, are asked to limit their time outside as a precaution.
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