Air quality in northern Michigan improved on Friday, but smoke remains a health risk as forecasters predict lingering effects through the weekend despite possible relief from rain and favorable winds.
Monitors in Manistee recorded “very unhealthy” air quality as of Friday afternoon. In Houghton Lake, air is considered “unhealthy.”
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Wildfires in Minnesota and Canada are producing the smoke. According to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), the wildfires “continue to burn, out of control, and are spreading.”
Southwest winds could improve the haze this weekend before shifting again, possibly bringing more smoke to the region and state by the start of the week.
A chance of severe storms and isolated rain showers across the region could also ease the hazy conditions, said meteorologist Nicole Sprinkles with the National Weather Service office in Gaylord.
Still, “the rain and the shifting wind directions will help momentarily, but we’re not out of the woods yet with all the smoke,” she said.
Smoke is really variable and can be hard to predict, Sprinkles said. “If you’ve ever been around a campfire and you get a gust of wind, and a little gust pushes it the other way,” she said, “it’s kind of like that but just in a bigger, broader sense.”
Health experts warn that danger is still in the air, even as conditions improve.
Levels of harmful particulate matter remain high. The most dangerous to human health is known as PM 2.5, which refers to the size of particles, in microns, that are small enough to penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
The absence of the smell of a pollutant like smoke doesn’t minimize health risks, according to Sue Anne Bell, associate nursing professor at the University of Michigan.
“Although the effects might have lessened in some areas, it’s still not resolved,” Bell said. “In some places across Michigan, it’s the highest PM 2.5 exposures in some people’s lives.”
Multiple days of smoky conditions can cause problems for people. Bell said it usually only takes a few hours of exposure for the human body to react.
“It’s a challenge for people who consider themselves healthy if those events start occurring more frequently,” she said. “The body is going to mount an immune response to address that unhealthy air we’re breathing.”
Particles are especially dangerous for those with existing health conditions like respiratory or cardiovascular issues. Children and older adults are also vulnerable.
State public health officials suggest avoiding strenuous outdoor activities. People should watch for symptoms including wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, dizziness, or burning in nose, throat, and eyes.
Keep windows closed overnight to prevent smoke from getting indoors and, if possible, run central air conditioning with MERV-13 or higher rated filters.
