air quality

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US-Bound Dust Cloud Is as Big as the Country

Haze expected and air quality warnings issued for Gulf Coast

(Newser) - A vast plume of Saharan dust, stretching the size of the continental US, is making its way across the Atlantic, set to transform the skies and air quality along the Gulf Coast this week. As it arrives after a 5,000-mile journey, the dust cloud may lead to hazy...

Friday Could Be a Smoky One for the Midwest

Wildfires in Canada are pushing smoke down into Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan

(Newser) - Wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan have led to a state of emergency and the evacuation of around 17,000 residents in Manitoba, in what that province's premier is calling its largest evacuation in recent memory. What that means for the United States: Friday and Saturday are going to...

After Halting Air-Quality Tests, a 180 by NPS

WaPo report on shuttering of monitoring in all 63 national parks seems to have changed NPS' mind

(Newser) - The Trump administration has halted air-quality monitoring at every national park in the country, though following media reporting, there are indications the stoppage will now be short-lived. The National Park Service falls under the Interior Department, which issued stop-work orders last week to the two contractors who run the monitoring...

Man, 19, Faces Arson Charges Over New Jersey Wildfire

Blaze has burned more than 23 square miles, impacted air quality in surrounding area

(Newser) - A spark from burning pallets in New Jersey's Pine Barrens has unleashed a wildfire, with smoke drifting as far as New York City and Long Island, prompting evacuations and raising air quality alarms. The blaze was sparked when a 19-year-old man from Waretown set fire to wooden pallets...

US Shuts Downs Air Monitoring at Embassies, Consulates

Critics say move not only stymies pollution research—it also threatens health of US staffers

(Newser) - For more than 10 years, 80 US embassies and consulates have collected and reported data on air pollution in countries around the world, in some areas serving as the only reliable disseminator of such information. Now, the Trump administration has put the kibosh on that global monitoring program, with the...

In Major Pakistani City, Smog Is 'Apocalypse' Level

Lahore, nation's second-largest city, is forced to close schools for the week

(Newser) - Pakistan's second-largest city has closed schools for the week, not that students will be able to go outside. The air pollution in Lahore is now second-worst in the world only to New Delhi, India, according to the Swiss outfit IQAir , reports Reuters . Consider that an Air Quality Index above...

This Is the Filthiest City in America
This Is the
Filthiest City
in America
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 30, 2024 1:30 PM CDT

This Is the Filthiest City in America

California's San Bernardino claims dubious honor, while Virginia's Lynchburg is the cleanest, according to LawnStarter

(Newser) - If cleanliness is next to godliness, a bunch of US cities need to find religion. LawnStarter took a look at more than 300 major US metropolitan areas to figure out which ones are sparkling clean and which ones need some tidying up, factoring in nearly two dozen metrics in four...

Canada Braces for 'Explosive Wildfire Season'

Country has just had its warmest winter on record

(Newser) - Last year was Canada's worst wildfire season on record by a long way—and authorities are warning that this year could be even worse. Government officials say an unusually warm winter, drought conditions, and dry, hot weather to come could cause an "explosive" wildfire season, the BBC reports....

One Nation Claims Dozens of World's Most-Polluted Cities

India isn't breathing easy, per new air-quality report, which notes only 10 nations get WHO's thumbs-up

(Newser) - If your city's air pollution has you reaching for the N95, you're not alone. Per a new report from Swiss tech company IQAir, out of 134 nations and regions surveyed, only 10 of them meet an international air-quality standard set forth by the World Health Organization, reports CNN...

The New Luxury Perk in Fancy Homes: Clean Air
The Rich Breathe Better
Air Than Most—Literally
longform
Mar 10, 2024 2:15 PM CDT

The Rich Breathe Better Air Than Most—Literally

Souped up filtration is becoming the norm for those who can afford it, reports 'New Republic'

(Newser) - It's a general truth that air pollution from factories and highways affects the poor more than the rich because of where people are able to live. But wildfire smoke? You might think, as one journalist put it, that it's more "egalitarian" because it affects everyone. Not so...

Forecasters: Only Relief From Smoke Will Be Heat

Canadian wildfire season is now the worst on record

(Newser) - Smoke from Canadian wildfires has brought terrible air quality to cities in the US once again, with conditions expected to worsen in New York City on Thursday—and forecasters say a "stuck" weather pattern means that for people in the East and Midwest, the only relief from the smoke...

New York, Get Ready for More Wildfire Smoke

Though it's not expected to get as bad as it did earlier this month

(Newser) - Canadian wildfire smoke is currently enveloping the Midwest, with Chicago, Detroit, and Milwaukee reporting some of the worst air in the US . But that doesn't mean it's done with New York: The smoke is expected to return to the state this week, authorities warned. Smoke from the Canadian...

Canadian Wildfire Smoke Is Causing Problems Again

Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee have some of the worst air in the country

(Newser) - Drifting smoke from the ongoing wildfires across Canada is creating curtains of haze and raising air quality concerns throughout the Great Lakes region and in parts of the central and eastern United States. The Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow.gov site showed parts of Illinois, lower Michigan, and southern Wisconsin...

Internet Praises This 'Genius' DIY Air Purifier

Box fan, some air filters, and duct tape are what people are using to fend off wildfire pollutants

(Newser) - Social media users are sharing a surprisingly effective way to protect yourself indoors from the toxic wildfire smoke blanketing much of the East Coast: a box fan, four air filters, and a whole lot of duct tape. As searches for "air purifiers" spike on Google, people are posting on...

Online Tool Lets You Check Your Air Quality
Unhealthy Air Isn't
in a Hurry to Move Out
the rundown
Jun 8, 2023 2:11 PM CDT

Unhealthy Air Isn't in a Hurry to Move Out

An online tool lets you check your area's air quality

(Newser) - Much of the East Coast is a smoky place these days—and a potentially hazardous one for those with breathing ailments or anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors. The latest on the haze blanketing the skies as a result of wildfires in Canada:
  • Check yours: The AirNow.gov
...

Wildfire Smoke Spreads Across US
Masks Return as
Canadian Wildfire
Smoke Moves South
THE RUNDOWN
Jun 8, 2023 6:52 AM CDT

Masks Return as Canadian Wildfire Smoke Moves South

Air quality is set to get worse as far south as Alabama

(Newser) - New York City and other cities in the Northeast are continuing to experience disruptions to daily life from hazardous levels of air pollution from hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada—and the smoke is spreading across a wider area of the US. According to a National Weather Service update early...

Wild Timelapse Video Shows Wildfire Smoke Covering Manhattan

From 11am to 2pm, the view changes quite a bit

(Newser) - A pretty wild time-lapse video shows the New York City skyline Wednesday as more and more smoke from the Canadian wildfires rolled in and obscured the view. The video from EarthCam, a network of live-streaming webcams, was shared on the National Weather Service's New York Twitter account , which calls...

In New York, Actress Stops Play, Saying She Can't Breathe

City is dealing with dangerously poor air quality because of Canadian wildfires

(Newser) - Ten minutes into a matinee performance of Prima Facie on Wednesday in New York City, Jodie Comer stopped the play. With Canadian wildfires causing the region's air to rank, at least briefly, among the world's worst, the star told the audience she couldn't breathe. A stage manager...

Wildfire Smoke Made NYC's Air Worst in the World

Canadian wildfires have brought unhealthy air to much of the eastern US

(Newser) - In New York City, officials have asked vulnerable people to stay indoors or wear masks when they go outside—and it's nothing to do with COVID. Smoke from Canadian wildfires has made the city's air quality "very unhealthy," Mayor Eric Adams said late Tuesday, urging all...

Canadian Wildfires So Bad That NYC's Air Is Code Red

And a lot of other places have hazy air quality as Canada suffers its worst start to season on record

(Newser) - Well, this is one thing we apparently can blame Canada for: Wildfires so out of control that the air quality in New York is under a code red warning. As Fox News reports, our neighbor to the north is currently battling some 425 wildfires from coast to coast—with more...

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