Air quality reaches unhealthy levels as Canadian wildfire smoke drifts into New Hampshire

By Jon Schoenheider, Jacqueline Thomas

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    HAMPTON, New Hampshire (WMUR) — Canadian wildfire smoke continues to cause hazy conditions across the Granite State, and it’s impacting air quality in many areas.

The Department of Environmental Services has declared an air quality action day for Thursday. An air quality alert has been issued for coastal Rockingham County, which includes Hampton Beach.

The alert was issued mainly because of elevated ozone levels in addition to pollutants and wildfire smoke.

As of Wednesday, about 200 wildfires were burning in Canada. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services said the smoke can specifically impact children, older adults and anyone with respiratory issues.

Health experts are advising people to limit their time outdoors. Dr. Marc Grossman from Portsmouth Regional Hospital said even healthy people can experience issues that may make them feel like they’re having an allergy attack.

“You may have coughing, wheezing, almost like an acute bronchitis. Sneezing, congestion, your eyes will water. So, it’s really like you came into one of those clouds of pollen. It’ll have the same impact on your body,” Grossman said. “Even if you can’t see it, you can feel it.”

Anyone planning to go on a hike should be aware that the air quality will on get worse at elevations higher than 3,000 feet.

In addition, skies may appear milky white or even orange at times, with filtered sunshine. The smoke will also create more vibrant and colorful sunrises and sunsets.

The smoke is expected to linger through Friday, but conditions will start to improve late Thursday night as temperatures drop.

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