more than 100 million residents of the United States affected by air quality alerts

More than 100 million Americans are affected on Wednesday June 7 by “orange” air quality alerts, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told AFP. In question: the smoke caused by fires in Canada. This level of alert corresponds to possible consequences on the health of fragile people (elderly people, asthmatics, children, etc.), or an alert of a higher level. For its part, the White House called on these people to “take precautions especially if you have health problems”said Karine-Jean Pierre, spokesperson for the American executive.

These alerts concern most of the northeastern United States, from Chicago in the north to Atlanta in the south. The air quality in this area “is primarily impacted by Canadian fires, although other local pollution emissions and weather may also play a role”, EPA said. Many major cities, such as New York and Washington, were also affected by a red alert on Wednesday. That is a level at which the general population can also feel effects on their health (effects then aggravated for fragile people).

The EPA is the agency responsible for monitoring air quality in the United States, and uses an index ranging from zero to 500. Between 0 and 50, the air quality is considered good. The orange alert corresponds to a level above 100.