Due to the current wildfires raging in Canada, smoke-related air quality in Ocean County has ranged from very unhealthy to unhealthy and continues to fluctuate hour by hour.
The Ocean County Health Department urges residents to visit NJDEP | Air Quality, Energy and Sustainability (AQES) | Air Monitoring | Home or airnow.gov. for consistent air quality updates for Ocean County and the towns you live and work in.
To avoid any health risks from unhealthy air quality please follow these helpful tips:
Fine particles also can aggravate chronic heart and lung diseases – and even are linked to premature deaths in people with these conditions.
If you are healthy, you’re usually not at a major risk from short-term exposure to smoke. Still, it’s a good idea to avoid breathing smoke if you can help it.
Use common sense. If it looks smoky outside, it’s probably not a good time to mow the lawn or go for a run. And it’s probably not a good time for your children to play outdoors.
Pay attention to local air quality reports. Stay alert to smoke-related news coverage or health warnings.
Visit AirNow to find out the Air Quality Index in your area. As smoke gets worse, the number of particles in the air changes – and so do the steps you should take to protect yourself.
If you are advised to stay indoors, take steps to keep indoor air as clean as possible. When smoke levels are high, try to avoid using anything that burns, such as wood fireplaces, gas logs, gas stoves – and even candles! Don’t vacuum. That stirs up particles already inside your home. And don’t smoke. That puts even more pollution in your lungs and in the lungs of people around you.
If you have asthma or other lung diseases, make sure you follow your doctor’s directions about taking your medicines and following your asthma management plan. Call your doctor if your symptoms worsen.
Run your air conditioner if you have one. Keep the fresh air intake closed and the filter clean to prevent bringing additional smoke inside. Note: If you don’t have an air conditioner, staying inside with the windows closed may be dangerous in extremely hot weather. In these cases, seek alternative shelter.
If you have heart or lung disease, if you are an older adult, or if you have children, talk with your doctor about whether and when you should leave the area. When smoke is heavy for a prolonged period of time, fine particles can build up indoors, even though you may not be able to see them.
Further air quality updates and information will be posted on the OCHD website at www.ochd and our social media platforms.
Additional Resources:
AirNow.gov – Wildfire Smoke: A Guide for Public Health Officials
AirNow.Gov – Air Quality Report for New Jersey
EPA – Smoke Ready Toolbox
NJOEM County Coordinators | NJOEM
Former President Trump on Thursday alleged that the dangerous smoke particles currently being seen in various cities in the US was the result of Canadian wildfire smoke that traveled, and leaked, across the US border. The latest accusation from Trump against a foreign country prompted dozens of Democratic lawmakers and Liberal mainstream media outlets to label the former President a “Hard-Core Conspiracy Theorist!”
“I said from the very beginning that the pandemic was a Chinese Virus, and they scoffed at me,” Mr. Trump told reporters on Thursday. “And now I am informing you once again with 100% certainty that the hazardous smoke we are currently seeing here in the US emanated from Canada, and is the result of Canadian wildfire smoke that leaked across the border, in the air, and arrived here in the US.”
“Believe me, I know what I’m talking about!” Mr. Trump asserted. “I correctly labeled the pandemic the ‘Chinese Virus’, and I’m correctly labeling this smoke catastrophe the “Canadian Wilfire Smoke Disaster’!”
Mr. Trump’s remarks prompted thousands of mocking tweets from Democratic politicians and Liberal mainstream media journalists who labeled Trump the “Ultimate Conspiracy Theorist” and “Fear Mongerer”.
“Clearly the hazardous smoke we are currently witnessing here in the US has no connection whatsoever with Canada or Canadian wildfires,” a New York Times editorial asserted on Thursday, “but leave it to Mr. Trump, the extreme right-wing xenophobe and master conspiracy theorist to link the spread of this dangerous smoke to Canada! It’s vintage Trump, once again!”
“The most likely explanation of this current smoke phenomenon,” the Times editorial posited, “is that smoke from a smoke-infected, American cigarette mutated into this gigantic and highly dangerous variant of smoke that we are witnessing right now in our cities.”
“Mr. Trump,” the Times editorial concluded, “can you please give us a break already, and keep your conspiracy theories to yourself?!”