PORTLAND, Maine — Most of Maine woke up to a dip in air quality Tuesday, as state environmental experts track the plumes from Canadian wildfires as they head into the state.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection sent out an air quality alert for most of Maine, except for inland and coastal down east, with a moderate level of air pollution.
"Maine's luck was going to run out eventually, and we were going to get some smoke," DEP Air Quality Meteorologist Martha Webster said.
Webster has been keeping an eye on the plumes coming from Canada for the past couple of weeks. She says these plumes are actually from the west of Canada, that were blown east over New York state over the past few days.
Healthcare experts at MaineHealth say during moderate days like this, folks sensitive to the pollution may want to stay indoors.
Although light exercise can be good, Chief Health Improvement Officer for Maine Health Dr. Dora Mills says if folks start to show signs of symptoms like difficulty breathing or irritation in the throat, lungs, or even eyes, it might be best to head indoors.
"We are seeing some uptick in people who are having breathing issues," Mills added. "If you have any heart or lung issues, or asthma particularly, then these are the kind of days to take it easy."
Although masking with an N-95 could filter out air pollutants, Mills also says it's not necessary if you're not in a high-risk group.
As for the rest of the week, Webster says the pollution is unlikely to stick around. However, predicting air pollution is tough to predict in the long term.
"At this point, I do think that the worst of it is going to be pushed north later today and overnight," Webster added. "But where has the smoke gone, and could that be recirculated back to Maine?"