Breathing Wildfire Smoke Equal To Smoking 9 Cigarettes In Chicago Area: Doctor

Wildfire smoke will continue to impact the Chicago area on Friday, creating dangerous conditions, before wind pushes the smoke northeastward, according to the National Weather Service.

And those hazy skies aren't just an annoyance—they're a real danger, and breathing in the air is the equivalent of smoking multiple cigarettes, Dr. Jonathan M. Tan, division chief of General Anesthesiology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told AccuWeather.

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That's because of PM2.5, tiny particles that are also found in cigarette smoke and can travel deep into the lungs.

As of Friday morning, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the Chicago area was over 300, in the "dangerous" level, according to AccuWeather.

"Scientists have found that an air quality reading of about 20 on the AQI scale is roughly like smoking one cigarette a day," Tan said. "So when the AQI climbs into the 150+ range for a full day outside, that’s in the ballpark of 7 to 9 cigarettes."

Chicago had the second-worst air quality of all major cities in the world as of Friday morning, followed by Detroit. Air quality index levels across the Chicago area remain "hazardous."

The Illinois EPA and Indiana Department of Environmental Management are maintaining air quality alerts across the area through Friday night, the weather service said.

The AQI is expected to improve slightly on Saturday, but still be around 217, which is in the "very unhealthy" range.

Meanwhile, public pools and beaches continue to close due to the dangerous air quality, and events across Chicagoland have been canceled:

• Lemont's Centennial Outdoor Aquatic Center Closed Friday Morning Due To Poor Air Quality
• Rockin' The Ville Concert Canceled Thursday Due To Poor Air Quality
• Lake Forest Beaches Closed, Concert Canceled Due To Poor Air Quality
• Centennial Beach, Paddleboats Closed Due To 'Extremely Poor Air Quality' In Naperville
• Wildfire Smoke Prompts Closures, Cancellations Across Lake, McHenry Counties
• Poor Air Quality Prompts Burr Ridge Event Cancellation
• Classic Car Show Canceled Due To Poor Air Quality

How To Stay Safe

The IEPA gave the following tips to stay safe during hazardous air quality:

• Stay indoors and monitor your breathing, especially if you have heart or lung disease, and keep windows and doors closed.
• If your air conditioner has a fresh air intake, set your system to recirculate or close the intake.
• Use high-efficiency filters in air conditioning systems and portable air cleaners.
• Avoid activities that create more particulate matter indoors, like smoking or burning candles.
• If you cannot avoid working or other outdoor activities, then choose shorter or less intense activities, consider rescheduling if possible, and take more frequent breaks.
• Consider wearing a high-quality N-95 or N-100 mask to filter damaging particles while outdoors.

Heat, Storms In Chicago-Area Forecast

Heat also continues on Friday, and the heat index will peak between 95 and 100 degrees on Friday afternoon, according to the weather service.

As smoky conditions ease in the afternoon, scattered storms may develop, the weather service said. Some areas won't see any rain today, but peak coverage of storms will be between 1 and 9 p.m.

Another round of storms is also possible Saturday, mostly for areas south of Interstate 88.

Wildfire smoke could return Saturday evening and continue into Sunday, according to the weather service. Warm temperatures continue although things slightly cool on Sunday; Saturday has a high of 91 degrees, and Sunday has a high of 85.

Storms are again possible on Monday, and some could be severe.

Here's a more detailed look at the weather this weekend, per the weather service:

FRIDAY: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Widespread smoke, mainly before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Heat index values as high as 97. Light south wind becoming west-southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

SATURDAY: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Heat index values as high as 100. West southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. North northeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

SUNDAY: Sunny, with a high near 84. East northeast wind around 5 mph.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65.