Portuguese 
Spanish 
The smoke from Canadian wildfires reached at least 14 states, led Detroit to record an air quality index of 566, and caused health alerts, beach closures, and recommendations to limit outdoor activities.
The smoke from wildfires in Canada reached at least 14 American states, placed Detroit, Minneapolis, and Chicago at the top of a global pollution ranking, and led authorities to recommend that residents stay indoors.
Detroit leads air quality ranking with an index of 566
Detroit appeared as the most polluted large city in the world at the time of the measurement conducted by IQAir. The Air Quality Index, known as AQI, reached 566 in the city of Michigan.
Minneapolis occupied the second position in the survey, with an AQI of 289. Chicago appeared right after, with an index of 259. The three American cities surpassed locations in South Asia that usually record high average pollution levels.
-
MIT engineers have created a robot that follows elderly people from behind, helps them sit and stand, supports body weight, and inflates side airbags if it detects a fall.
-
Scientists descend 1,024 meters into an Australian gold mine, use 120 tons of steel and 12,000 liters of liquid to reduce billions of invasive particles and prepare an underground trap against dark matter.
-
Paving of BR-156 opens nine archaeological sites in Amapá and leads teams to remove from the ground possible funerary urns, axe blades, and small pieces with human faces left by societies that occupied the Amazon before the Europeans.
-
To save crocodiles that were dying from poisoning in northern Australia, scientists cut 2,400 cane toads, remove lethal glands, inject a substance that causes nausea, and hang baits in the rivers to teach predators to reject the invader, reducing deaths by up to 95%.
Indices between 201 and 300 are classified as “very harmful to health.” According to health alerts, under these conditions all residents may suffer adverse effects, especially when exposed to pollution for prolonged periods.
Residents reported a smell similar to a constant campfire and said that the smoke was entering buildings. There were also reports of headaches, eye burning, throat irritation, and difficulty breathing.
Rachel Philips stated on Facebook that downtown Chicago had disappeared behind the smoke. “This is much worse than the summer two or three years ago,” she declared. “It hurts to breathe, and I don’t have health problems!”
Canadian smoke brings fine particles to 14 states
Hundreds of wildfires continued to burn in Canada, sending smoke over densely populated areas of the United States. At least 14 states were affected, mainly in the Northeast and the upper Midwest.
The list includes Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Ohio. In some places, the concentration of smoke turned the sky an orange hue.
Authorities warned that the smoke contains fine particles known as PM2.5. These microscopic particles are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and reach the bloodstream.
Given the situation, state and municipal agencies recommended that residents limit their time outside. The guidance included avoiding intense outdoor physical activities and monitoring for respiratory symptoms or irritations caused by exposure.
Among the mentioned signs were wheezing, coughing, dizziness, chest tightness, and burning in the eyes, nose, and throat. Children, the elderly, and people with respiratory diseases received even more restrictive recommendations.
Authorities also advised residents to keep windows closed. When available, the recommendation was to turn on the central air conditioning system equipped with a MERV-13 filter or higher to reduce smoke entry into homes.
Michigan and Minnesota record dangerous conditions
Michigan was under a statewide air quality alert. Plumes from Canadian fires crossed the Upper Peninsula and moved southward, approaching the state border with Indiana.
The warning included Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Saginaw, Traverse City, and Marquette, as well as communities scattered across northern Michigan.
In Minnesota, parts of the state reached the brown category, considered dangerous. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reported that dense smoke produced hourly indices higher than previous records in the Twin Cities.
Traces of ash were also observed. Authorities warned that pollution would likely affect everyone in central and northeastern Minnesota and recommended that the public avoid any outdoor physical activity.
Tammy Johnson reported on Facebook that she experienced a headache immediately whenever she went outside. According to her, the discomfort took between 20 and 30 minutes to disappear after returning indoors.
Chicago closes beaches and pools due to pollution
In Chicago, health authorities closed all outdoor public beaches and pools to reduce residents’ exposure. The city’s skyline was shrouded by smoke carried from Canada.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency declared a red alert in Rockford and the six forecast zones of the Chicago area. The warning included Chicago, Evanston, Joliet, Aurora, Naperville, Waukegan, Rockford, and neighboring areas.
Michelle Turner told ABC7 that the smoke was very irritating and made it difficult to breathe. She reported burning in her eyes and throat throughout the day, even while wearing a mask.
The National Weather Service reported that the region was on the edge of a dense cloud moving from Canada southward. There was still uncertainty about how far this smoke would advance.
Counties in Indiana near Chicago have also been put on alert due to the forecast of harmful PM2.5 levels. The warning reached Lake, Porter, Newton, and Jasper, including Gary, Hammond, Merrillville, Portage, and Valparaiso.
Alerts reach Pennsylvania, New York, and New England
Ohio issued a statewide alert, warning that the smoke would raise pollution to harmful levels for sensitive groups. The most dangerous conditions were observed in the northeast, in counties near Cleveland, Akron, and Lake Erie.
Pennsylvania was also under a red alert across the state. Smoke from Ontario and Minnesota moved from north to south, creating conditions considered harmful to the health of the entire population.
The forecast indicated that the smoke would persist until Friday. After that, the expectation was for improvement to the orange category, still classified as harmful for people belonging to sensitive groups.
New York issued warnings for New York City, Long Island, Hudson Valley, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester, and communities near the Canadian border. Areas in the western part of the state exceeded AQI 200.
The alerts also reached Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and northern New Jersey. In West Virginia, communities near Wheeling and Weirton were under an orange alert due to particles from the Canadian smoke.
