Maryland Issues Code Red, Purple Air Alerts as Canadian Smoke Worsens Through Friday
Updated
Updated · WBAL TV Baltimore · Jul 16
Maryland Issues Code Red, Purple Air Alerts as Canadian Smoke Worsens Through Friday
3 articles · Updated · WBAL TV Baltimore · Jul 16
Summary
Code Red alerts cover parts of Maryland on Friday, with Western Maryland under Code Purple, as Canadian wildfire smoke pushes air quality from unhealthy to very unhealthy levels.
Maryland environmental officials said most of the state was under Code Orange on Thursday, expect conditions to worsen through Friday, and warned some alerts could extend into Saturday.
Doctors urged residents to stay indoors, avoid exercise, and use vehicle air recirculation, saying the fine particles can trigger coughing, wheezing, inflammation, chest pain, stroke, and other vascular complications.
Johns Hopkins pulmonologist Panagis Galiatsatos said symptoms can appear three or four days later or even a week later, and warned ordinary face masks are unlikely to block the tiny smoke particles.