Lansing's air quality likely to remain poor through Friday, officials say

LANSING — Smoky, hazy air is continuing to linger across mid-Michigan, reducing Lansing's air quality to a rating of 244 on Thursday, which is considered "very unhealthy" — and may be the worst air quality score seen in mid-Michigan this week.

Michigan health officials expect to issue their first-ever dual air quality advisory Friday, adding an ozone alert for southeast and western Michigan to the statewide smoke advisory, said Jim Haywood, the senior meteorologist for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

Many of Michigan's air monitors are reporting some of the worst air quality in the nation, he said.

"It is hard to say if it is worse than the past few days, but it is safe to say that we have not seen an improvement," Haywood said. "We are hoping for some slight improvement later today and tomorrow, but it is likely that improvement is not nearly as much as we would like to see."

He said a wind shift, expected Thursday, will return southern air that is just as smoky and ozone concentrations are expected to increase as well.

"I wish I could definitively say when this episode will be over," Haywood said. "Considering the size of the Canadian fires, they will need to burn out on their own and that will take a while. For us, only a sustained change in wind direction from an area with clean air will finally get us flushed out."

According to the EPA, ozone exposure can:

• Cause coughing and sore or scratchy throat.

• Make it more difficult to breathe deeply and vigorously and cause pain when taking a deep breath.

• Inflame and damage the airways.

• Make the lungs more susceptible to infection.

• Aggravate lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.

• Increase the frequency of asthma attacks.

The smoke in the air poses risks to vulnerable people because of tiny particulates and chemicals created by burning wood. Air quality advisories from the National Weather Service and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy that ask people to stay indoors have been extended until Friday, according to Michigan EGLE.

The air quality rating system labels "good" air as zero to 50 for particulates. At times this week, areas of Michigan have had ratings as high as 300, which is considered very unhealthy.

State health officials said symptoms of particulate pollution include wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. People with asthma or heart disease who experience such symptoms should contact their health care provider.

The advisories mean 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.

Experts recommend using air purifiers to help the air quality inside and wearing an N95 mask if you must go outside.

Unhealthy levels of pollutants from smoke are covering the Great Lakes region, according to online air quality tracker AirNow.gov. The smoke is coming from Canadian wildfires, with 258 out-of-control wildfires burning, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

READ MORE: Air quality advisory extended because of smoke

Why is the air quality so bad?

Air quality is unhealthy due to the level of particulates in the air from Canadian wildfires, from which smoke has drifted into the U.S. in the last several weeks. Zachary Yack, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chicago, said wind patterns are largely driving where the smoky air goes.

Low pressure over the eastern Great Lakes is causing the smoke to drift through northern Michigan, and across southern Wisconsin and Chicago, said Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Scott Thomas, a Grand Rapids-based meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the winds are looking more favorable and the state should see much of the smoke clearing out by this weekend.

Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Canadian smoke continues to cover Lansing in haze