State officials issued an air quality warning on Monday due to significant smoke plume from western United States and Canadian wildfires moving over the New England region.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection said the air quality alert would be effective until 12 a.m. on Tuesday for all Massachusetts counties, except Plymouth, Bristol and Cape Cod and the Islands.
“The air is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups,” according to the MassDEP warning. “While much of the smoke is aloft, some of the plume is mixing down to the surface and increasing fine particle levels.”
Sensitive groups include people with heart or lung disease such as asthma, older adults, children, teenagers, and people who are active outdoors, according to MassDEP. People with either lung disease or heart disease are at greater risk from exposure to particle pollution.
MassDEP is advising that “people in sensitive groups should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion; take more breaks and do less intensive activities and follow asthma action plans and keep quick relief medicine handy. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.”
Luis Fieldman can be reached at lfieldman@gazettenet.com