How Minnesota's polluted air can impact our busy kids
MINNEAPOLIS – We know the current air quality in much of Minnesota is unhealthy, but is it bad enough to sideline our summer fun?
Experts say a KN95 mask can help during the worst days, or just staying inside. But during the height of summer break, that's not always an option.
"It was pretty bad. This morning, woke up, getting him ready for camp and walked outside, it smelled like a campfire," said parent K.C. Flynn.
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"The wildfires in Canada have been really, really bad," said 9-year-old Jonah Flynn.
So bad that Jonah's fishing camp in Mendota Heights moved indoors Tuesday morning because of bad air quality.
"I don't want my kids to miss out, but also want to make sure they're taken care of," K.C. Flynn said.
By evening, his soccer game was still on, though some parents wondered if it would be.
"We've gotten a little bit used to it as parents this summer," Angela Kade Gepford said. "There's been so many air quality warnings."
She's right -- there have been a record number of air quality warnings this year: 23. That's a new record, and we're only in June.
"So I feel like we're always kind of checking our phones and wondering is the game on? Is the game off? Kade Gepford said.
WCCO News spoke with Dr. Andrew Stiehm, an Allina Health pulmonologist.
"At lower air qualities, but still bad air qualities, it's more about the susceptible child than it is about every child. So I think that the decision wrestled more with the parents than with the organization," Stiehm said.
Stiehm says kids with asthma or other respiratory issues are more at risk.
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"When you're exercising, you're taking deeper breaths, so you're sucking in even more of the bad air than people who are doing more quiet and shallow breathing. And so particularly those engaged in vigorous activity, they are more susceptible than the parents sitting on the sidelines," he said.
If kids have to be outdoors, they should take frequent breaks, hydrate often, and be mindful of signs to head inside.
"Parents should be able to observe their children's coughing more, or perhaps running slower or taking breaks more often than normal," Stiehm said.
"Hopefully the air quality will cooperate so kids can be outside and be active this summer," Kade Gepford said.
We can also do our part to reduce air pollution by driving less, switching to electric lawnmowers, and using energy-efficient appliances.
And of course, avoid backyard fires because we certainly don't need any more smoke in the air, especially right now.
