>> hazy skies here again today as Canadian wildfire smoke is moving across Chicagoland.

The last few days.

The National Weather Service has issued local air quality alerts.

And while there's no alert for today, some are raising concerns about the impact the smoke could be having on people's health.

Joining us now, our doctor, Juanita Mora, a respiratory doctor and board director with the American Lung Association.

And on zoom from Champaign, Illinois state climatologist Trent Fort.

Welcome back to you both.

Thanks for joining us.

Trent Fort, I want to start with you, please, because we've had several days of air quality alerts still pretty hazy today, house with these alerts mean?

>> the alerts or combination from Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA and the National Weather Service.

So the EPA monitors air quality the concentrations of a number of pollutants, including particulate matter.

It's just little buddy, solace in the air that we can prevent that that really harm us.

Our respiratory system, ozone action oxide, so on so forth and when those concentrations that are measured on the ground get to a certain point.

Surpass Twitter, different levels, unhealthy for sensitive individuals.

Those who have pre pre-existing health conditions, unhealthy for all populations on so forth was to get that level.

Then the PA works.

The National Weather Service enough.

These alerts like a severe thunderstorm warning or a tornado warning or extreme heat advisory so folks can can can take heed and protect themselves from in some cases, a pretty dangerous health situation.

>> Andrew, what can you tell us about the Canadian wildfires in the smoke that's been settling over the city to cause this?

>> Yes, so you know that the wildfire smoke has really been in the crosshairs in Chicago and across much of Midwest the last week or so.

But in reality, the wildfires been burning really since the spring and some ways some ways controls and uncontrolled.

What happened is last week when we had those storms move through midweek Wednesday, Thursday, they changed the wind direction from primarily south, which is why I was really hot, humid for a long time, primarily northwest and that drop the temperature dropped to 2 point.

So everybody was happy as far as how comfortable there was, but also brought in that wildfire smoke from the northwest from that part of Western Canada.

And with that, those elevated levels of particulate matter and ozone particular.

That that makes for unhealthy air situation that's really stuck around.

This got better over the last couple days.

When we look at the forecast it's going to improve as we unfortunately Searcy that are come more out of the south.

heat up again.

for now, you know, we've had this string of days where we've had a pretty poor air quality across much of city.

Chicago.

>> And Dr more.

What is the impact on people's respiratory health when we have this poor air quality, of course.

And this is what I think seeking clinic and really in kids adults because these particles are so tiny that they're one 30 at the diameter of one here on our head while and they enter through the eyes of cars burning of the eyes enter through.

know is that nasal congestion?

Sinus pressure.

Then they entered through our mouth, going directly to our lungs and for people with underlying lung disease like asthma or COPD or emphysema, wheezing, shortness of breath, and it goes on to make an inflammatory cascade into other organs to swell.

What precautions to people need to take.

Well, when we're looking at the zones, absolutely red.

When we're looking erode, we're looking at Purple and Chicago was the most contaminated city on the whole planet.

We have to make sure one that people are working outdoors or being outdoors for a long time that they wear an n 95 mask or more because these particles of a surgical mask is not enough to that.

If they have underlying lung disease that they're taking their control or medications and have a rescue inhaler on hand in case they get into trouble 3, that they don't have to be at place not to be outdoors as well, too.

And that that tend to be exercising outside or taking the kids out to the park.

And number 4, that I always tell them as well to it is that if you've been outdoors coming back home, taking a shower, changing your clothes, doing nasal saline, just to get all the particles out of are no set cetera.

Okay, Trent, the last time air quality was this much of a concern was June Think a lot of us probably remember that summer.

Can we expect this to be?

>> More of an issue in the future with extreme weather becoming more of a national concern our new normal.

>> Yeah, it's a really good I mean, if face value wildfires or at least the length and intensity wildfire season in Western North America.

Some parts of the U.S. and Canada has been increasing.

So seen a longer and more intense wildfire season and that's projected to continue as climate continues to warm.

so what that means is that increases the risk of when we get the right atmosphere conditions.

The wind blowing out of the northwest.

Some nice sinking air will because of signs from the top, the atmosphere that allows that the particulate matter to to sink down to where we can breathe it in and increases the risk all those things coming together in an increasing the how often we have to deal with this.

And I can mention, unfortunately, with the way the direction of the winds, we often this time of the year.

Consider northwest flow to be very pleasant because it's try.

It's it's not humid.

It cool.

But unfortunately, when those wildfires are burning, it can also mean an increased risk of of of poor air quality.

Yeah.

>> Entrance Chicago was ranked number one for worst air quality in the world on Thursday as Dr Mora mentioned, why do you think conditions got so compared to other major cities?

>> combination of bad luck.

And and just the size of Chicago.

the particulate matter and ozone, but particularly the particulate matter are something that we deal with in certain neighborhoods consistently in Chicago, but not nearly to the level of what was probably the wildfire so that pollution was on top what is already kind of a baseline higher concentrations of certain types plude's just because of all the activity, the cars of transportation, the HVAC systems Chicago.

The other part of the bad part was the fact you know, for most of the last week or so, we've seen the highest concentrations of of those clues farther north into parts like Green Bay, Minneapolis.

And unfortunately right around that Friday to Saturday market shifted down and really blasted the Chicago land area with a poor air quality.

So like a mention of the last few days, we've seen it slowly begin to to to lessen at least a little bit by the end of the week.

The forecasts show pretty decent air quality as we heat up again.

But yeah, just the unfortunate timing with everything going on in the city of a popular weekend poor air quality.

>> Dro got about 20 seconds left, had a lot of festivals this weekend.

Have you noticed an uptick in patients experiencing problems from this air?

So I had clinic on Thursday and on Saturday.

So I saw kids who had been at Lollapalooza who had we I kids with really burning eyes as well to shortness about people who had never had a coming in with cough symptoms as well too.

So this is bill and I tell people if you can see it, you can believe it.

All right.