Canton, Northeast Ohio remain under Air Quality Advisory from wildfires in Canada

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is easing across Northeast Ohio, but the air quality in Canton remains "very unhealthy" according to tracking site AirNow.gov.

The National Weather Service in Cleveland has issued Air Quality Advisory for fine particulate matter until midnight Thursday. Affected counties include Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit.

That means anyone in a sensitive group – including young children, older adults or those with heart and lung disease – should stay indoors for any physical activity, and everyone else should limit the amount of time they are active outdoors.

Only a few people could be seen on the walking track at Stadium Park in Canton on Wednesday afternoon.

Four pickleball players were sitting on the table off Stadium Drive NW.

"I think it's poor," Andy Katusin, 72, of Pike Township, said about the air quality with a laugh. He said he thought the weather forecast had called for the winds to carry the smoky air north. He said he wasn't concerned about the effect of the air on his health. And it hadn't caused him any breathing issues as he played earlier.

"We've just kind of been taking it easy anyway. So it's not like we're getting crazy," Katusin said.

Katusin noticed there were far fewer people around the park than normal.

"I'm sure the air quality has some people (concerned). I may regret this (playing pickleball this afternoon) tomorrow. Or over the weekend."

Bob Grier, 66, of Massillon, had recently arrived to join Katusin and the other pickleballers after work. He said he was playing despite the air situation because he is "addicted to the game."

He wasn't worried about the effect of the air on his health.

"I think if it was hotter and the wind wasn't blowing it would be a whole lot different. .. if it was less windy and a little bit more hotter it would be a whole lot worse. I don't think anybody would be here then."

The Canton Parks and Recreation Department later announced the cancellation of all softball and volleyball games Wednesday evening.

Air Quality Index is 'very unhealthy' for Canton, Northeast Ohio

The air quality tracking site AirNow.gov ranks Canton air as "very unhealthy," with a score of 232. That's down from 260 on Wednesday. The site, a partnership between the EPA, NWS, NASA and others, ranks Canton's air worse than Beijing, China (54), and Dubai, United Arab Emirates (133).

US air quality map

Where are the wildfires in Canada?

There were 500 active wildfires burning throughout Canada as of Thursday, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Of those, 257 are considered out of control.

It's one of the worst wildfire seasons on record for the country. Smoke from wildland fires burning in Quebec has even reached parts of southwestern Europe, NASA's Earth Observatory reported on Monday. Soot particles reached across 2,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean, causing hazy skies in Europe. Air quality there is mostly fair because the particulates are higher in the atmosphere, NASA said.

Experts say the number of fires in Canada will increase in the coming years. And scientists said early this month that human-caused climate change will lead to more fires in the U.S. So whether it's future Canadian fires or the wildfire season in the U.S., odds are you'll encounter toxic smoke in years to come, which has prompted health experts to warn of the smoke's dangers.

"If the air quality outdoors is really bad, stay indoors as much as possible," says William P. Bahnfleth, an engineer and a professor of architectural engineering at Penn State University. "If you must go out in the smoke wear an N95 mask outdoors, and avoid heavy exertion."

How to filter out wildfire smoke in your home

Because staying indoors is your best protection from toxic smoke, experts recommend giving your house a wildfire checkup.

Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech Linsey Marr says, "The overall goal is to keep the outdoor air outside and to clean the indoor air as much as possible." Marr and Bahnfleth offer these tips:

• Keep your windows closed.

• “If your system brings in outdoor air, turn off the outdoor air supply. Outdoor air is often brought in by an energy recovery ventilator that can be switched off independently,” says Bahnfleth.

• If you have central HVAC, put in the highest efficiency filters that they can accommodate (MERV 11 or higher desired), and set the fan to run continuously. Residential HVAC systems usually recirculate air and do not bring in outdoor air so by running the fan you are using the system as a whole-house air cleaner.

How to improve the air inside your home during a wildfire

• Run bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans only as needed. They end up pulling outdoor air into other parts of the residence.

• If you have a portable air filtration unit, like a HEPA air purifier that removes particles from the air, run it on high.

• If you have a window AC unit, check to see that the filter is installed correctly. Run it with the fan on high to circulate air through the filter and remove as many particles as possible. Most units use recirculated air only and do not pull in outdoor air. A small minority have a setting that allows you to control the amount of outdoor air, and you should set these to zero outdoor air.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: 'Unhealthy' air quality in Canton Ohio made by Canadian wildfires