| A couple months ago, I noticed that I was coughing a lot on my weekly runs. I’ve been running for years and I’m currently training for my third marathon, so it wasn’t the result of simply being out-of-shape. Before long, I realized my cough was much worse on days when the air quality in New York was particularly bad. Recently, that’s felt like more and more often. In recent years, massive smoke clouds drifting from Canadian wildfires have triggered air quality warnings across the Eastern US. In June 2023, Manhattan’s skies turned an apocalyptic orange as thick smoke from the Canadian blazes blanketed the city. But it’s not just the East Coast that’s suffering. Smoke and grit from the latest bout of forest fires also spurred air quality warnings in the Midwest. Around 156 million Americans — nearly half of the US population — now live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to the latest State of the Air report from the American Lung Association. People with health conditions like asthma and heart disease face increased risks when air pollution is high. Healthy people may also experience symptoms like coughing, sneezing and eye irritation on days when air quality is particularly bad. Health experts generally recommend that people limit their time outdoors when the Air Quality Index, or AQI, is above 151. The smoky conditions also affect pets. “Dogs and cats can definitely be affected by air quality, just like people,” according to Aly Cohen, an extension veterinarian at Cornell University’s Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center. “There isn’t a pet-specific index, so the same air quality index used for humans is applied to pets, where anything above 100 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups and above 150 is unhealthy for everyone.” Cohen says short-muzzle breeds, like French Bulldogs, very young or old pets and ones with preexisting health conditions affecting their lungs or hearts are at greater risk. Air quality is usually based on the levels of two common and dangerous pollutants: ozone and fine particles. Wildfire smoke is hazardous, in part, because it contains tiny, inhalable particles that can enter the lungs and blood stream. The same type of air pollution is emitted when cars burn gasoline or power plants burn coal for fuel, but it’s particularly acute during wildfires. Ozone, on the other hand, is a layer in the Earth’s atmosphere but it can also form as a pollutant closer to the ground. When people breathe in the corrosive gas, it can lead to inflammation in the lungs. Both extreme heat — like we’ve also been experiencing in New York — and wildfires can promote the formation of ozone. So, at least for now, I’ll stick to running on the treadmill. — Madison Muller | 
