Dangerous air quality levels persist in Michigan as Canadian wildfires rage
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - More than 100 million people are currently under air quality alerts throughout the Midwest, Northeast and Carolinas as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to drift through the United States.
As of Thursday afternoon, Detroit was ranked as the city with the worst air quality in the world, surpassing cities in India, Pakistan and China.
Stephanie Hengesbach, a meteorologist with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy's air quality division, said the current air quality levels are unprecedented.
"In all honesty, this current condition we're in is new to us," she said. "It has not happened in the 20 years I have been with the air quality division.
"Tuesday was the first day ever we called a statewide air quality alert for fine particulate. It's been going on. It started Tuesday. It was going on yesterday, and again today, and we're actually meeting shortly to determine if we're going to want to extend anything into tomorrow or not. But, this is definitely a newer situation for us and one that we're learning from."
Meteorologist Frank Marsik, an associate research scientist and lecturer at the University of Michigan's Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, said he, too, has not seen such severe air quality in more than 40 years.
"I've been in the state of Michigan for a very long time, and I can't ever remember seeing this type of thing here across the state of Michigan," he said. "From time to time, you'll see haze and things like that in the evening, but to see this extent of particles in the air, the deep red sunsets that we see every night, and such continuously over so many days in a row is not something that I've ever seen in my years here in Michigan."
Purple air quality meters placed by members of Marsik's research team throughout Metro Detroit measured some areas in the 200s on Thursday afternoon – a "very unhealthy" air quality level according to a national warning system.
What makes the air quality so dangerous is the fine particulate matter we breathe when spending time outdoors in these conditions. Known as PM 2.5, the pollutants have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers – much smaller than the diameter of a single human hair.
When inhaled, the particles can travel deep into your lungs. This can pose a significant health risk, particularly to those with lung conditions.
Hengesbach said people should avoid leaving windows to their homes or offices open and recommended a MERV 13 filter for these conditions.
"It is really important that you are aware of the type of filtration system you have," she said. "Because not all of them are going to prevent these very tiny particles to come in, so it really has to be something that you look into to ensure that it is a filtration system that is small enough to trap these really tiny particles."
Health experts advise people to stay indoors in air conditioning when air quality indexes reach such high levels, and to wear N95 masks if spending time outdoors.