{"id":4644,"date":"2026-07-16T18:08:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T18:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644"},"modified":"2026-07-16T18:08:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T18:08:39","slug":"your-guide-on-nycs-air-quality-what-the-canadian-wildfire-smoke-means-for-your-health-and-what-to-do-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644","title":{"rendered":"Your guide on NYC’s air quality: What the Canadian wildfire smoke means for your health \u2014 and what to do about it"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

It\u2019s a double whammy. <\/p>\n

As wildfire smoke from Canada and the Great Lakes region blankets New York, experts warn that scorching temperatures gripping the city could make the already hazardous air even more dangerous to breathe.<\/p>\n

Read more Exclusive | CBS News boss Bari Weiss rejiggers management style following \u201960 Minutes\u2019 bloodbath: \u2018She\u2019s been very nice\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re comparing it to cigarettes, it\u2019s like you\u2019re sitting in a closed room where everyone is smoking and you\u2019re inhaling all of it,\u201d Dr. Ahmad Abu Homoud, director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Center at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, told The Post.<\/p>\n

The Big Apple\u2019s health advisory remains in effect Thursday after the city\u2019s Air Quality Index (AQI) reached Level Red this morning \u2014 a designation considered unhealthy for everyone, especially sensitive groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe combination of dangerous heat and unhealthy air is a serious threat to New Yorkers\u2019 health,\u201d Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a press release Wednesday, urging residents to limit time outdoors as much as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have made free KN95 masks available at hundreds of locations citywide, including libraries, police precincts, and a number of firehouses,\u201d he said, directing residents to on.nyc.gov\/freemask to find out where they can pick one up.<\/p>\n

But escaping the haze isn\u2019t as simple as heading indoors. Experts warn that, in some cases, the air inside your home can be just as polluted \u2014 or even worse \u2014 than what\u2019s outside.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s everything you need to know about the current conditions, how they could affect your health and what you can do to stay safe.<\/p>\n

What is the AQI \u2014 and what does it say about NYC?<\/h2>\n

The Air Quality Index, or AQI, is the government\u2019s system for measuring how clean or polluted the air is.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks at several different factors, including ozone and other small particulate matter called PM2.5, which is probably what\u2019s being most impacted by these wildfires,\u201d said Dr. Megan Conroy, a pulmonologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.<\/p>\n

AQI levels above 100 can put people with underlying health conditions at risk during prolonged outdoor exposure, Conroy explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything above 150 on that scale is considered dangerous for everyone and should be avoided in total,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

As of Thursday afternoon, the AQI in Midtown Manhattan was 102. Forecasts show levels could climb to 200 later in the day. <\/p>\n

You can keep tabs on current air quality levels at AirNow.gov, and the nubmers are also available in most weather apps.<\/p>\n

Why is the heat making the air quality worse?<\/h2>\n

\u201cHeat traps a lot of particulate matter closer to the ground where we are,\u201d Conroy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wildfire is compounding on top of what would already have been circumstances to be at risk for lower air quality,\u201d she explained. \u201cThen if you add in the general city pollution, it\u2019s kind of a one-two hit.\u201d<\/p>\n

High temperatures add fuel to the problem, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe heat itself can make you breathe faster and make the air thinner,\u201d Abu Homoud said. \u201cThat can exacerbate the amount of particulate matter that goes into your lungs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s at risk?<\/h2>\n

\u201cPeople with asthma are going to be at the highest risk for increased symptoms and hospitalizations following this air quality,\u201d Conroy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re over the age of 65 or you have underlying heart or lung disease, it\u2019s also going to put you at pretty significant risk, along with pregnant women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Dollar Tree installs customer price scanners for a disheartening reason: \u2018Never thought I\u2019d see the day\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Children are also more vulnerable to the effects of exposure.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir lungs are still developing \u2014 especially toddlers and babies \u2014 and having significant exposure can actually make them develop asthma or bronchitis, and it can be chronic, so they could have it as an adult,\u201d Abu Homoud said.<\/p>\n

And the effects can come quickly. For people with asthma or a lung condition like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Abu Homoud said just minutes of exposure can trigger an attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor kids and the elderly, it\u2019s usually hours until you see some effect on their breathing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you have to worry about air quality if you\u2019re healthy?<\/h2>\n

For most healthy adults, brief exposure is unlikely to cause any serious health issues, but it can certainly lead to unpleasant side effects \u2014 like the ones you might experience in Dr. Homoud\u2019s analogy about sitting in a room of smokers. Thinking sore throat, watery or itchy eyes, a runny nose or cough.<\/p>\n

The risk also depends on how long someone is outside and what they are doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re exercising outside, you are going to be breathing faster, breathing deeper, and therefore taking more air into your lungs,\u201d Conroy said. \u201cPeople who work outdoors, who may have limited options to reduce their exposure, are also particularly at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the worst that could happen \u2014 and when should you call the doctor?<\/h2>\n

\u201cIf you are healthy and without underlying lung disease, you may not experience anything from it,\u201d Conroy said. And if you have some mild symptoms, they will likely fade on their own.<\/p>\n

But for higher-risk groups, conditions can become more serious.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will feel tightness in the chest, wheezing and increased phlegm production,\u201d Abu Homoud said. \u201cThose are the three main signs that will say, \u2018OK, call your doctor.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

At extremely poor AQI levels, such as 200, even healthy people could develop complications.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf any of these symptoms are worsening despite management at home or very significant shortness of breath, seek emergency care,\u201d Conroy said.<\/p>\n

What should I be doing to stay safe outdoors?<\/h2>\n

\u201cIf you need to go outside, wear a tight-fitting N95 face mask,\u201d Conroy said. \u201cOther masks that are not N95 or higher quality are not going to provide adequate protection from this degree of particulate matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also recommends limiting outdoor activity \u2014 especially strenuous exercise \u2014 to reduce the amount of polluted air you breathe in.<\/p>\n

If you have flexibility on when you head outside, Conroy said air quality may be slightly better in the early morning or evening, when temperatures are lower.<\/p>\n

Is being inside safe?<\/h2>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re closing the windows and you have a good filter and HVAC system, then you should be fine,\u201d Abu Homoud said.<\/p>\n

But simply being indoors is not enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cStaying indoors with the windows open in a limited space is actually going to expose you to a higher dose of particulate matter than the open air outside,\u201d Abu Homoud warned.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we recommend closing the windows and keeping the AC running, so the HVAC filter actually absorbs as much as possible,\u201d he said. \u201cThe smaller the space you\u2019re in, the higher the exposure dose.\u201d<\/p>\n

What you do while inside can also affect your air quality.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cDoing things like cooking indoors with gas sources, lighting candles and smoking indoors \u2014 all of these can worsen indoor air quality,\u201d Conroy said. \u201cSo trying not to add that in these certain circumstances can be helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Three major US cities top world\u2019s worst air quality rankings as Canada wildfire smoke blankets America<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As wildfire smoke from Canada and the Great Lakes region blankets New York, experts broke down everything you need to know about the current conditions, how they could affect your health and what you can do to stay safe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\nYour guide on NYC's air quality: What the Canadian wildfire smoke means for your health \u2014 and what to do about it - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Your guide on NYC's air quality: What the Canadian wildfire smoke means for your health \u2014 and what to do about it - Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As wildfire smoke from Canada and the Great Lakes region blankets New York, experts broke down everything you need to know about the current conditions, how they could affect your health and what you can do to stay safe.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-16T18:08:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=4644#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=4644\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"headline\":\"Your guide on NYC’s air quality: What the Canadian wildfire smoke means for your health \u2014 and what to do about it\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T18:08:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=4644\"},\"wordCount\":1209,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=4644#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/aa22a43abc4f35c8cbbccedc167fc5af.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=4644#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=4644\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=4644\",\"name\":\"Your guide on NYC's air quality: What the Canadian wildfire smoke means for your health \u2014 and what to do about it - Metro Transit Review\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=4644#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=4644#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/aa22a43abc4f35c8cbbccedc167fc5af.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T18:08:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=4644#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=4644\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=4644#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/aa22a43abc4f35c8cbbccedc167fc5af.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/aa22a43abc4f35c8cbbccedc167fc5af.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":799},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=4644#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Your guide on NYC’s air quality: What the Canadian wildfire smoke means for your health \u2014 and what to do about it\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Metro Transit Review\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Your guide on NYC's air quality: What the Canadian wildfire smoke means for your health \u2014 and what to do about it - Metro Transit Review","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Your guide on NYC's air quality: What the Canadian wildfire smoke means for your health \u2014 and what to do about it - Metro Transit Review","og_description":"As wildfire smoke from Canada and the Great Lakes region blankets New York, experts broke down everything you need to know about the current conditions, how they could affect your health and what you can do to stay safe.","og_url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644","og_site_name":"Metro Transit Review","article_published_time":"2026-07-16T18:08:39+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"headline":"Your guide on NYC’s air quality: What the Canadian wildfire smoke means for your health \u2014 and what to do about it","datePublished":"2026-07-16T18:08:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644"},"wordCount":1209,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/aa22a43abc4f35c8cbbccedc167fc5af.webp","articleSection":["Health"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644","name":"Your guide on NYC's air quality: What the Canadian wildfire smoke means for your health \u2014 and what to do about it - Metro Transit Review","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/aa22a43abc4f35c8cbbccedc167fc5af.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-16T18:08:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/aa22a43abc4f35c8cbbccedc167fc5af.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/aa22a43abc4f35c8cbbccedc167fc5af.webp","width":1200,"height":799},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4644#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Your guide on NYC’s air quality: What the Canadian wildfire smoke means for your health \u2014 and what to do about it"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/","name":"Metro Transit Review","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/metrotransitreview.com"],"url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4644\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}