Steph Deschamps / June 8, 2023
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued poor air quality warnings for more than 100 million U.S. residents on Wednesday.
These warnings are mainly due to forest fires in Canada, reports the EPA.
The agency warns on its website that smoke from Canadian forest fires affects air quality in much of the country. "Local pollutant emissions and meteorology may also play a role," it adds.
Warnings are in effect for most of the northeastern U.S., from Chicago to south of Atlanta.
A code orange - corresponding to a possible impact on the health of vulnerable people - or a higher-level warning is in force. On Wednesday, a Code Red was in effect in some major cities, such as New York and Washington. This means that the general population could experience health effects.