Throughout the past week, Michigan has experienced some of the worst air quality in the country due to the wildfires in Canada.
As Michigan continues to deal with air quality issues, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services is urging people to check the air quality before they solidify their plans for the Fourth of July.
“Smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to affect air quality across the state,” MDHHS chief medical executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian said in a news release. “We are urging Michiganders to check the Air Quality Index regularly this weekend to decide if they should be participating in outdoor activities and what actions they should take to keep themselves and their families safe.”
Officials said people 65 or older, people with lung and heart conditions, pregnant people and children are more at risk to feel the effects of the poor air quality.
Because of this, the MDHHS is urging those people to avoid all strenuous outdoor activities and consider moving some events indoors or rescheduling them.
Similarly, National Weather Service Meteorologist in Gaylord, Sean Christensen said people with underlying health issues should avoid the outdoors.
“The biggest thing is always if you are in a vulnerable group, like if you have bad breathing problems or asthma, it's always good to avoid as much outdoor activity as possible,” Christensen said.
Even if you don’t have underlying health factors, officials are still asking people to limit their time outdoors.
The MDHHS said people can reduce exposure by wearing masks and shortening the amount of time they are outdoors.