Chicago residents should limit their time outdoors and avoid strenuous physical activity because of unhealthy air quality due to smoke from Canadian wildfires, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) said on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th June, 2023) Chicago residents should limit their time outdoors and avoid strenuous physical activity because of unhealthy air quality due to smoke from Canadian wildfires, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) said on Tuesday.
"Air quality in Chicago is now at an unhealthy level due to wildfire smoke from Canada. Limit your exposure by avoiding strenuous activities and shortening your time outdoors," CDPH said in a statement via Twitter.
Wildfires in Canada have already burnt 5.3 million hectares of forest land, an area three times the size of Lake Ontario, the country's emergency ministry said earlier this month. The wildfires have also prompted tens of thousands of evacuations from affected areas.
The air quality monitoring service IQAir lists Chicago as having the worst air quality in the world among major cities, followed by the city of Minneapolis in Minnesota.
Earlier this month, residents of New York City were similarly told to avoid the outdoors without respiratory protection after the air quality was severely impacted by Canadian wildfire smoke.
The United States has offered assistance to Canada in fighting the wildfires, including by sending firefighters and providing satellite data.
