Air quality alert across the US caused by plumes of smoke from Canadian wildfires, experts say fires could "absolutely" carry down to the East Coast

The winds carry hazardous smoke and haze from western Canada wildfires, triggering air quality alerts across the northern U.S. states. Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota are affected by the situation. The state’s officials are issuing the first air quality alert of 2024, which marks only the beginning of the anticipated very hot summer.

Canadian fire officials report this may be an "explosive" season that may rival last year as global warming effects on our planet become that much more apparent. With April closing as the 11th-consecutive warmest month on record, as reported by the National Centers for Environmental Information on May 14, the situation in Canada may become more turbulent.

Canada is actively fighting 128 wildfires, with 34 characterized as ‘out of control,’ causing degradation of air quality across the North American states. The New York Times recounts that "In June of last year, the level of particulate matter in the air from smoke became so unhealthy that many U.S. cities set records." The air quality was characterized as "hazardous to breathe" from Minnesota to Indiana, sections of the Mid-Atlantic region, and the South, with significantly reduced visibility in many cities as distant to Canada as New York, Toronto, and Cincinnati.

The current air quality status across the United States and Canada is at a moderate level, with the air quality alert issued only in Minnesota. The predictions are that throughout the summer, in many other states, alerts will follow.

Kristina Dahl, the principal climate scientist at the Union for Concern Scientists on ABC News, commented that the fires could "absolutely" reach the East Coast of the United States.

"It's entirely possible," she elaborated. "It all depends if the forest fires develop in those regions, and then you'll need winds to be aligned with the timing for the fires for that smoke to [drift] south into the United States. So, a couple of things have to come together for it to happen, but it is not impossible."

Dahl also noted that Canada has had one of its warmest winters on record this year. When asked about climate change, she signaled the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the heat generated by human activity.

"What all our climate models show is that the more we warm the planet the worse the fires are going to get," Dahl stated. "When we're thinking about what we need to do and what we can do to address the problem of worsening wildfires, we really need to be thinking with that long-term hat on. It's going to benefit our children and our grandchildren if we make those emission cuts starting now."

According to the New York State Department of Health, the composition of wildfire smoke varies depending on what is burning, such as grasslands, trees, vegetation, or buildings. Wildfire smoke can contain toxic chemical substances like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, acid gases, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, benzene, toluene, styrene, metals, and dioxins.

As smoke lingers in the air, it can become more toxic. It may react with trace radicals or molecules with unpaired electrons through a process known as oxidation. This process transforms the particles into free radicals, damaging cells and tissues.

Additionally, smoke can impair the macrophage function, which is the lungs' ability to protect themselves. Macrophages, a type of white blood cell, play a crucial role in the immune system.

NYC.gov states, "When the outdoor air quality is poor, consider wearing a mask if you have symptoms of air pollution exposure, such as coughing or throat or eye irritation, and you find that wearing a mask helps reduce these symptoms."

Sources: ABC News, The New York Times, CNN, Yale Climate Connections