FIRST ALERT: Multiple counties in NE Wisconsin are under an air quality advisory
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Hazy conditions, smoke and an acid smell outside - bad air from wildfires raging in Canada is carried to Wisconsin by northwesterly winds.
As of late afternoon on Friday, May 19, 2023, Southeast Wisconsin is getting hit the hardest, and those falling in the sensitive groups should stay inside until the advisory is lifted.
That has happened in Brown, Oconto and Outagamie Counties already as cleaner air has moved in there.
“The patients we’re concerned about are the individuals that have pulmonary issues like asthma and other issues affecting the respiratory track,” Dr. Eric Schauberger from the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health explained
Others in this group include children, older adults, those with heart issues and those who are pregnant.
Dr. Schauberger also encourages folks who aren’t in these groups to still stay alert for symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is monitoring the changes in air quality.
“We have a network of air quality monitoring sites across the state. The ones that measure fine particular pollution, we have 18 of those across the state,” said Craig Czarneck, Outreach Coordinator, DNR Air Management Program.
Air quality can be checked using a tool on the DNR website, called “Wisconsin Air Quality Monitoring Data.”
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