Respiratory experts offer safety tips as air quality in Chicago temporarily drops to world’s worst

CHICAGO (WGN) — For a few hours Thursday, Chicago had the worst air quality in the world.

Whether Chicagoans were driving through the Loop, south down the Dan Ryan, or making their way north through Rogers Park, there was no avoiding the haze that plagued the Chicago skyline.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the layer of smoke was due to Canadian wildfires, and experts with the Respiratory Health Association (RHA) said this kind of air quality is dangerous.

“It’ll trigger asthma attacks. It’ll trigger increases in emergency room visits and hospitalizations for breathing problems,” said Brian Urbaszewski, Director of Environmental Health Programs for the RHA. “And it’s not just lung health lung problems, either. The fine particles that are in the smoke that’s coming from the Canadian wildfires are also connected to things like strokes and heart attacks.”

Experts said the smoke coming in is lying on top of Chicago’s already existing air pollution, “making a bad situation even worse.”

Urbaszewski and his colleagues recommend that people use air filters and air purifiers during these alerts at home. They should also make sure to keep windows shut in their car on the go and to recirculate the air conditioning in their vehicles.

According to the NWS, the air quality alert will be in effect through late Friday night.

“People can go to RespHealth.org and click on Advocacy where they can join our E-Advocacy Team,” Urbaszewski said. “We are working right now to help people get letters into EPA that call for the proposed tailpipe pollution rollbacks to be stopped.”