Toxic wildfire smoke from Canada has affected millions of people across North America, and people have been warned about the health consequences of poor air quality. The skies across North America have been obscured by orange-tinged pollution created by wildfires. The haze has overshadowed the region’s iconic towers and caused people to wear face masks. Cities around the United States East Coast have also issued air quality warnings.
The wildfire situation continues to deteriorate, with the Norwegian Climate and Environmental Research Institute NILU reporting on Friday (June 9) that smoke from Canadian wildfires was spotted thousands of kilometers away in the Scandinavian country this week.
Researcher Nikolaos Evangeliou told the news agency AFP that, “very weak” amounts of smoke particles have been observed since Monday, in particular at the Birkenes observatory in southern Norway.
However, the measurements have varied depending on the fires’ intensity, wind direction, and precipitation. He added, “We don’t see serious peaks or large increases… so we don’t see any environmental issue (in Norway) nor serious health hazards either.”
In recent weeks, larger and more ferocious flames have charred 3.8 million hectares of Canadian forest and displaced tens of thousands of Canadians. According to reports, the size is unprecedented, with around 2,300 fires documented so far this year.
So far, Southern Norway, like much of Northern Europe, has had an extremely dry spring and early summer. There has been no rain in southern Norway for 16 days, and no rain is expected in the next few days.
Canadian forest fires
After some US towns were once again blanketed in toxic smoke, US President Joe Biden called wildfires a “stark reminder” of climate change. Flights were rescheduled, and some outdoor events were canceled.
Over the capitol of Washington, residents reported smoke and an unpleasant campfire odor. Some areas of the mid-Atlantic region achieved “Code Maroon,” the highest category of the Air Quality Index (AQI), indicating dangerous circumstances.
Notably, the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that more than 111 million people in the United States were under air quality advisories as a result of the fires.
“Millions of Americans are experiencing the effects of smoke from devastating wildfires burning in Canada, another stark reminder of the impacts of climate change,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden went on to say that he was sending further resources to Canada, including “additional firefighters and fire suppression assets such as air tankers,” in addition to the 600 American personnel sent in May.