Air quality improving, advisory remains in effect

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- For a second day, state health officials are advising people to limit their time outside due to the wildfire smoke creating unhealthy air quality. 

A spokesperson for Ascension Wisconsin told CBS 58, emergency rooms were seeing an increase in patients with worsened asthma and COPD symptoms.

An air quality advisory issued by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is in effect until Thursday, June 29. 

Healthy air is between zero and 50 on the AQI (Air Quality Index) scale. Wednesday afternoon, Milwaukee sat at 193 and Waukesha at 205. 

Both of those numbers are down from what we've seen over the last 24 hours. However, AQI is still in the "unhealthy" and "very unhealthy" ranges. Doctors say people should limit their time outdoors and if you use an inhaler, make sure you're carrying it on you.

"If you're really worried about it, your lungs aren't very good, wearing a well-fitted N95 throwback to COVID times will prevent these particles from getting into your lungs and causing inflammation. So not ideal air quality out there but ways to kind of mitigate that risk a little bit," said Dr. Jeff Pothoff, chief quality officer at UW Health. 

Dr. Ben Weston with Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin said the Canadian wildfire smoke brought tiny particulate matters with it.

The matter can sit on our lungs, causing breathing and other problems.

Weston went on to say over the past 48 hours, Milwaukee County emergency rooms saw a brief spike in people coming in to be treated for respiratory issues, due to the smoke, but for the most part he said people are abiding by safety guidelines.

"They're staying inside, they're keeping their window closed, they're using air filtration," said Weston.

Weston said the Canadian wildfire smoke should not present any long-term effects, but it's the sudden symptoms people should keep their eyes on.

"The levels are so high right now that even healthy folks will feel it and feel shortness of breath, can get headaches, can get nauseous, so it's really causing a lot of issues for people in our community," said Weston.

Weston said N95 masks can help filter the tiny particulate matter brought over by the Canadian wildfire smoke.

The air quality advisory is expected to end at noon on Thursday, June 29, but we could continue to see the impact of the wildfire smoke for the next couple of weeks.