Smoke from Canadian wildfires is once again negatively impacting the air quality in Kentucky. Roberta Burnes is the Environmental Education Specialist for the state Division for Air Quality. She said people with heart and lung conditions, and children, need to take precautions.
“If you have asthma, you definitely want to keep your inhaler with you. I've got mine with me today. And then just reduce your outdoor activities, maybe avoid strenuous outdoor activity that might make you breathe more rapidly.”
Burnes said the Canadian haze returned Sunday and is expected to stick around for a few days. However, there’s an environmental ally that’s helping clear the air: rain.
“In just the last few minutes, I've watched Elizabethtown go from red to orange on the air quality index, which is an improvement. And we've also seen that happen in Western Kentucky. So the rain will be our friend.”
Burnes said while the sources of the haze are mostly wildfires in northwest Canada, the atmosphere is like an ocean with waves that move pollutants around -- and sometimes we end up in the bullseye. You can check your air quality at airnow.gov.
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