Plumes of smoke from Canadian wildfires have settled across the center part of the U.S. pushing Kansas City’s air quality to an unhealthy level early Thursday.
The air quality index in Kansas City reached 159 Thursday morning, which places the air quality in the red or unhealthy category, according to the website AirNow.gov.
The primary pollutant was elevated particulate matter in the air caused by the smoke. The tiny particles, called PM 2.5, are about 1/30th of the width of human hair.
The poor air quality places those who already have respiratory or heart issues, such as asthma or heart disease, at greater risk, as well as older adults and children.
They are urged to reduce their exposure by avoiding strenuous outdoor activities, keeping outdoor activities short and moving physical activities indoor or rescheduling them.
Everyone else is urged to choose less strenuous activities so they don’t breathe as hard outdoors, shorten the amount of time they spend outside and wait until air quality improves to be active outdoors, according to the website AirNow.gov.
Air quality will continue to be a concern through the end of the week, the National Weather Service in Kansas City said.
