BALTIMORE — Since May, many parts of Canada have seen the largest number of wildfires on record, and with the weather patterns this year, all of the smoke has been traveling down into the U.S.
"We're hopeful that there is an improvement by the end of the week in the direction that smoke is going, but as long as those fires are burning, smoke is going to keep going into the atmosphere and well have to keep a close eye on what direction it comes it could still come back to our area," said WMAR meterologist Chris Swaim.
Many parts of the upper east coast, including Maryland, are noticing poor air quality.
Doctors say the amount of smoke in the air can be very harmful for sensitive groups.
"Inhaling bad quality air every day is like inhaling cigarette smoke. The smoke will cause a bad lung problem for you including lung cancer," said Dr. Ferentz, GBMC.
The smoke in the air is also bad for people who spend a lot of time outdoors. Doctors advise against exercising outside until the air quality improves.
"You'd like to think 'oh well it's just the trees that are burning or the ground that's burning,' but hey if people threw out garbage in there that's burning. Also, if there are batteries that may be burning also, so there certainly may be toxic chemicals," said Dr. Ferentz.
Experts say the best way to protect yourself is to limit time outdoors; if you can't, they suggest wearing N-95 masks.
You can use the WMAR Weather app to monitor and get updates about the air quality in your area.
