Air Quality Health Advisory Issued Due to Canada Wildfire Smoke

Wildfires in Canada are Causing Air Quality Issues in Syracuse

Over 160 Wildfires currently burning in Quebec, Canada, are sending smoke and other products of combustion south, leading to air quality warnings for Central New York and the City of Syracuse.

According to airnow.gov, the City of Syracuse's air quality today is 391 (as of 12:00 p.m. on June 7), which rates the air quality as hazardous. This means it is unhealthy for sensitive groups, including those with chronic health issues and pre-existing conditions, to be outside. Those in affected groups, as well as the elderly and young children, are encouraged to avoid strenuous outdoor activities and stay indoors. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality warning effective until midnight tonight. For more information about the advisory,  visit https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/34985.html or call the Air Quality Hotline at 800-535-1345.

Advisory Details

• The pollutant of concern is: Fine Particulate Matter
• The June 6 advisory is still in effect as of 12 p.m. on June 7

City Activities

Syracuse Parks and Recreation will be cancelling all outdoor activities. For information about Parks programming or cancellations visit syracuse.recdesk.com

In Case of Emergencies

If you or someone you know is experiencing a health emergency or breathing problems related to the air quality, you may call 9-1-1. If you are concerned about the smell of smoke and are considering calling 9-1-1 due to a possible fire, please gather as much information as possible before calling. This will help mitigate deploying the fire department for a potential false alarms. It is important that members of public safety be available for fire calls.

A note on DEC Air Quality Index: The Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Health issue Air Quality Health Advisories when DEC meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ozone or fine particulate matter are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 100. The AQI was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale, with a higher AQI value indicating a greater health concern. To learn more, visit dec.ny.gov

Reduce Your Exposure:

1. Stay indoors with the windows closed.
2. Keep activity levels low.
3. Avoid using anything in your home that burns (wood fireplace, stove, candles, incense).
4. Don’t smoke.
5. Do not vacuum unless it has HEPA filtration.
6. Be cautious if the weather is hot. If it is too hot to stay inside with the windows closed, or if you are in an at-risk group, go somewhere else with filtered air.

Wearing Masks:

1. Do not rely on “dust” masks. They are not designed to trap particles this small.
2. Scarves and bandanas will not prevent the inhalation of particulates.
3. N-95 masks or KN-95 masks, reminiscent of our heightened risk COVID days, will help if you MUST be outdoors for a particular time. 

(Last Updated: 6.7.2023 12:52 p.m.)