Doctors raise air quality concerns as Canadian wildfire smoke blankets New England

BOSTON (WHDH) - There was an eerie, almost spooky feel in Massachusetts Wednesday as thick Canadian wildfire smoke blanketed the region, causing air quality concerns and casting an orange haze in the sky.

“It’s crazy, it’s just crazy,” Nicholas Calias said while golfing. “It’s very weird, the cloudiness. I work in the city, on top of the Colonnade Hotel. We have the rooftop pool, and this is all we see all day long. So, it’s a little weird.”

At Granite Links Golf Club in Quincy, there’s as much talk about the look of the sky as about drives and putts on the ground.

“People are wondering, when the sun does poke through, at times, it’s like a yellowish mist,” Ed McManus said. “It’s different. No doubt about it. Everyone is commenting on it.”

From downtown Boston to downtown Quincy, the hazy skies and smoky smell are hard to miss.

“It’s really dark, it’s really dark and grim,” Dora Williams, Roxbury native. “I thought it was the sun, but lo and behold, it’s the smoke.”

— Residents Combat Air Quality Concerns during Sail Boston —

The smoke coming from the wildfires in Northern Minnesota and Canada is creating problems for those with respiratory issues.

“Our biggest concern with wildfire smoke is particulate matter,” said Regan Bergmark, a sinus surgeon with Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “[It’s] so small, they can travel deep into the lungs, and even into the bloodstream.”

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s air quality index indicates people with respiratory issues could experience trouble breathing after 24 hours of exposure. That can make people sick.

“We know that E.R. visits go up during wildfire smoke,” Dr. Bergmark said. “That’s been shown for respiratory diseases, especially.”

Health experts suggest at risk residents residents take precautions. That means staying inside with the windows closed. Use an air filtration system or air purifier if possible, and reduce physical activity.

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