Wildfires Cause Dense Smoke and Hazardous Air Quality in More Than 20 States

Here in the United States, dense smoke from Canadian wildfires brought air quality alerts to people in more than 20 states in the northeast and upper Midwest on Thursday, with more smoke in the forecast this weekend. The Air Quality Index in Toledo, Ohio, climbed to over 600 — that compares to a “good” air quality score of 50 or less. In Detroit, Michigan, it topped 720 — more than double what’s needed to trigger a “hazardous air” alert. Here in New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke as readings topped 250, a level he said posed a health risk for everyone, regardless of their health status. Mayor Zohran Mamdani: “Whether we’re speaking about the heat, whether we’re speaking about the air quality, or whether we’re even speaking about the levels of rainwater and flooding in our city, I am concerned. And I’m concerned because what we see is that the climate crisis exacerbates so much of what our city is facing.” Meanwhile, in Texas, at least two people died as dangerous flooding swept through the central part of the state, the same area where more than 130 people, including 25 children at a summer camp, died in flash floods last summer. www.democracynow.org