NYC Wildfire Smoke Timelapse June 4–7

Ecolibrium timelapse camera at Masaryk Towers, NYC showed the inflow of smoke from Canadian wildfires more than 400 miles away, between June 4–7. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in NYC reached hazardous levels last week, above 400 parts per million (ppm). Mayor Adams declared that the AQI in NYC peaked at 484 ppm on June 7th. To find the AQI in your zip code, visit: AirNow.gov

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),

Wildfire smoke is comprised of a mixture of gaseous pollutants (e.g., carbon monoxide), hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs]), water vapor, and particle pollution. Particle pollution represents a main component of wildfire smoke and the principal public health threat. . .

A growing body of scientific evidence links wildfire smoke exposure to various health effects (e.g., Rappold et al. 2011, Liu et al. 2015, Adetona et al. 2016, Reid et al. 2016, Wettstein et al. 2018). . . there is evidence of an increase in the risk of both cardiovascular- and respiratory-related effects in response to wildfire smoke exposure, particularly as the intensity of wildfire smoke increases.

To learn more about why wildfire smoke is a health concern, visit https://www.epa.gov/wildfire-smoke-course/why-wildfire-smoke-health-concern.