If you’ve been walking outside in Chicago, it’s best to turn around and head indoors. The air quality in Chicago is among the worst in the world, primarily due to smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting south and creating unhealthy conditions for Chicagoans.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, The Weather Company, a leading organization that provides weather data and forecasting, ranked Chicago as having the ninth-worst air quality globally for cities with a population of over 4 million. This poor air quality prompted an air quality alert for the Chicago area on Thursday.
What to know about Chicago’s air quality
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) issued an Air Pollution Action Day for the Chicago metropolitan area, effective until midnight, due to elevated particle pollution, as stated in a state news release.
An Air Pollution Action Day is declared in Illinois when air quality is forecasted to reach or exceed the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” level for two or more consecutive days in Chicago.
Counties affected by this action include Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Grundy, Lake, McHenry, and Will.
The IEPA also advised Chicagoans to minimize the number of trips taken outside until after sunset.
National Weather Service warned:
Active children and adults, especially people with pulmonary or respiratory disease such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor activity.
Symptoms to look out for in sensitive individuals include wheezing, coughing, a rapid heartbeat, fatigue, chest pain, and shortness of breath. If symptoms worsen, call 911 or a physician.