With the Canadian wildfires that are currently going on, Iowa has seen some impacts from that and a representative with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources discusses possible dangers that can be harmful to people.

According to the National Weather Service, an Air Quality Alert was issued in the Raccoon Valley Radio listening area of Dallas, Greene, and Guthrie counties. DNR Air Quality Bureau Environmental Specialist Todd Russell explains that their office mandates the air quality alert, which is designed to inform people about unsafe pollution levels. He reveals who is most at-risk when dealing with bad air, especially when wildfire season can impact the air quality in the state.

“Young children breathe a lot more air per body mass than adults do. And anyone who’s sensitive to those types of things should avoid the bad air as much as possible. (Staying) indoors is generally (a) better (solution).”

Russell confirms that air quality conditions will be better today, but as the wildfires still persist, there could be future instances that the air quality could diminish again throughout the year.