Air quality in Philadelphia and South Jersey is getting worse due to wildfires, report says
Wildfires are worsening the Philadelphia region's air quality, according to the American Lung Association's annual State of the Air report.
The health organization gave failing grades to Philadelphia and parts of South Jersey, including Gloucester, Mercer and Ocean counties.
Kevin Stewart, the American Lung Association's environmental health director, blamed the record-setting Canadian wildfires in 2023 for contributing to the region's poor air quality.
"I think we knew that the wildfire smoke would have an impact on air quality in the United States," Stewart said. "I think we were surprised at the Lung Association by how strong the effect was, especially in the northeastern quadrant of the continental United States."
According to the organization, polluted air can lead to asthma attacks in children, heart attacks in adults and even premature death.
"We do know that there's a continuing challenge," Stewart said. "It does require us to pay attention to the science, to make sure that we are addressing the reasons for this kind of thing."
Car and factory emissions also contributed to the worsening air quality.
Those emissions can heat up the planet, which drives climate change, and Stewart warned climate change can also lead to more intense and frequent wildfires.
"Over time, over decades, people will see more and more of these kinds of events," Steward said. "Unfortunately, we will be downwind of some of them."
Stewart said the best way for families to protect themselves is to pay attention to their local forecasts and, in particular, focus on any specific air quality alerts.
