Peggy Goodwin typically likes to spend as much time outside as possible in the too-short Michigan summers, riding her bike or taking a walk.
But Goodwin, and the residents of the assisted living facility where she works, have been spending more time indoors lately as smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada drifts across the border. Goodwin said the skies have turned hazy, the smell of barbecue lingers in the air, and her eyes burn and water if she's outside too long.
"It's just not pleasant," she said.
Canadian wildfire smoke has worsened air quality in many parts of the United States, putting a damper on Americans' summer plans and raising health concerns, particularly for vulnerable groups like children, older adults and those with respiratory conditions. The smoke can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and contain particulate matter small enough to be inhaled.
The National Weather Service has issued air quality alerts in states including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
See map: Smoke from Canada wildfires prompt air quality alerts in US
"Once inhaled, these particles can affect the lungs and heart and cause serious health effects,” the Environmental Protection Agency has said.
'It almost makes me gasp'
Carol Schuchart has been eagerly checking the weather reports to see when she and her two dogs might be able to venture outside again in Hanover, Pennsylvania, where she runs a wedding planning and coordination business. Schuchart, who has fibromyalgia, said she's been having trouble breathing since the haze has settled in.
"It's hard to go outside and enjoy when that air quality is bad and you have trouble breathing, you know," she said. "So I tend to stay in when it's like this."
Meanwhile, Dorothy Curran said she was shocked to see the Minneapolis skyline obscured by wildfire smoke during a recent commute to work. When she stepped outside, Curran said she felt a tightness in her chest.
"I was just feeling very scratchy, having a lot of coughs," she said. "And I think a lot of people were feeling that, even without respiratory conditions."
For those who do have health issues, the smoke can cause even more concern. As of Aug. 6, the EPA labeled air quality throughout the Plains, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions "unhealthy for sensitive groups."
Wildfire smoke safety tips: How to keep you, your family and beloved pets safe
Curran, a pediatric pulmonologist and a professor at the University of Minnesota, said she's been getting more and more calls from parents seeking refills on medication for their children with asthma or other underlying health conditions.
"Things that I've been hearing about are shortness of breath with activity, cough, especially a dry cough," she said. "Very rarely, we've been seeing that trigger more airway reactivity or narrow airways leading to wheezing and presenting to the emergency department."
Breathing in wildfire smoke can be dangerous because it can contain hazardous chemicals and particulate matter, which is comprised of small particles of solids or liquids suspended in the air, USA TODAY has reported.
While larger particles can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, particles as small as 2.5 micrometers, PM 2.5, can "penetrate deep into the lungs, where they can impair lung function, cause illnesses, such as bronchitis, and increase asthma attacks," according to Yale Medicine.
For Joel Williams, the smoke prompted an asthma flare up that landed him in the hospital for more than three weeks. Williams, a retired police officer who lives in Bloomington, Minnesota, said he started wheezing earlier this summer as the sky turned orange and the air began to smell like a fireplace.
He said he tried the usual remedies ‒ breathing treatments, extra prednisone and even antibiotics ‒ but the wheezing persisted. Williams said he was eventually admitted to the hospital where he stayed for 23 days.
"I am a very active person," he said. "To miss a whole month just sitting in a hospital bed was uncool."
Since his release, Williams said he's been staying indoors more, wearing masks and using an air purifier as he waits for conditions to improve. He urged others affected by the smoke to take similar precautions.
"I can almost tell as soon as I step out the house, it almost makes me gasp, even with a mask on," he said. "So that tells you how bad this stuff is."
Contributing: Michael Loria, Christopher Cann
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Canadian wildfire smoke blamed for burning eyes, scratchy throats
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