Something in the Air

You may have heard the saying “Red sky at night, sailors’ delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.” It’s an example of a way people tried to predict the weather long before the days of meteorologists – who may soon be replaced by AI! And it turns out this saying is not merely folklore but is actually true in some parts of the world, such as areas in North America, Europe and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans – thus the sailor connection!

In the past few days, the sky has not been red, but rather orange, for millions of Americans in the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast due to smoke from wildfires in Canada. The orange sky, while not of use for weather forecasting, is an indicator of dangerously poor air quality. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), wildfire smoke is a mix of gases and fine particles that can have immediate health effects such as difficulty breathing, coughing, irritated eyes, and asthma attacks. The likelihood of suffering adverse effects from wildfire smoke are greater for older adults, pregnant women, young children and people with chronic heart and respiratory conditions.

The wildfire smoke provides a stark reminder of the health dangers of air pollution. And while the smoke is moving out of many of the areas impacted this week, air pollution is an ongoing health risk in many cities across the US, especially for low-income Americans.

Check out Just Breathe for more on the health impacts of air pollution!
Happy Reading!

Suzanne Daniels