Doctors share tips to help deal with Minnesota air quality
As the air quality in Minnesota remains dangerous, experts are giving advice.
"It's not a one-size-fits-all answer," said Dr. Andrew Stiehm, who's a pulmonologist for Allina Health. "I just reinforce stay inside, pay attention to the air quality index."
Steim adds it's OK to be outside, but it's the duration spent and intensity of your outdoor workout that you should be wary of.
"It's hard when you have an event you can't avoid," he added.
Open Streets is an event in northeast Minneapolis on Saturday — a day when Minneapolis' air quality ranked as the 10th worst among the world's major cities, according to IQ Air.
"I'm glad I don't live in Saskatchewan," said Minneapolis resident John Larkay, who was attending Saturday's Open Streets event with his dog.
Larkay said Saturday was a perfect day despite the air.
"I've lived here for 25 years and this has been some of the more extreme smoke conditions," he said.
Here's how to know if conditions are getting to you.
"Red, itchy, irritated eyes, watery eyes," said Stiehm. "The nose can be congested, runny. Sinus congestion, sore throat, cough and shortness of breath."
Those symptoms won't happen to everyone.
"Part of it starts off with your natural vulnerability," said Stiehm. "As an example, I have one child who's very allergic. For example, we tend to worry more about him going outside on days like this than some of my other children that are less allergic."
"The particulate matter is a big deal for your respiratory health. It's really concerning," said Minneapolis resident Ethan Culver.
When WCCO asked Stiehm what people can do other than stay inside, he said the N95 mask can work if you need to go outside and reach out to your healthcare team if your asthma is acting up. If you're staying indoors, Stiem says air purifiers can also help and keeping your windows closed.