{"id":132430,"date":"2026-07-16T22:21:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T22:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/132430\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T22:21:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T22:21:56","slug":"marylanders-impacted-by-poor-air-quality-from-canada-wildfires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/132430\/","title":{"rendered":"Marylanders impacted by poor air quality from Canada wildfires"},"content":{"rendered":"

Emery Sheriff\u2019s job consists of standing outside and talking to people passing by, fundraising and canvassing for her company\u2019s organization. Thursday\u2019s air quality was made worse by smoke from Canadian wildfires and high temperatures, which she said made it hard for her to breathe and took a toll on her work performance as she stood beneath the hazy skies.<\/p>\n

Most of Maryland is facing air quality that is harmful to sensitive groups\u00a0\u2014 and the air is only projected to worsen on Friday with unhealthy conditions across the state, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment.<\/a><\/p>\n

High temperatures are exacerbating the effects of ozone pollution and the smoke traveling across the northeastern<\/a> United States from southwestern Ontario\u2019s wildfires, according to MDE.<\/p>\n

Residents of Baltimore and beyond are facing the effects of the brutal conditions, beating the heat by taking additional breaks at work and staying health-conscious as they walk around the city sweating. The harsh weather impacts some more than others, like Sheriff, whose health conditions clash with her outdoor work.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel delirious right now,\u201d she said while canvassing outside of Paterson Park. \u201cI stand for eight hours a day \u2014 it is taking a toll on my health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CanadaCanada wildfire brings smoke and hazy skies to the Baltimore region. (Lloyd Fox\/Staff)<\/p>\n

Wildfire smoke can contain particulate matter, which can settle into lungs and airways because of its size \u2014 nearly 30 times smaller than the width of human hair, Dr. Nidhi Kotwal, a pediatric pulmonologist at the University of Maryland Golisano Children\u2019s Hospital, said in a statement. Those with underlying medical conditions, and both older adults and infants, are particularly susceptible to the health impacts of wildfire smoke, she added.<\/p>\n

Sheriff, a Baltimore resident, has recently become increasingly sensitive to air quality, something that she attributes to a medical condition. She has found herself losing her train of thought as she speaks to strangers walking by, forgetting her rehearsed pitch and repeating herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to focus more on the way my body feels, unfortunately, so a lot of my brain power is going toward my body rather than my speech,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Sheriff is used to consistently working out and easily meets her goal of 10,000 daily steps \u2014 but Thursday was a different story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was walking maybe under a mile today, and I was out of breath,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to sit down multiple times, and that\u2019s not normal for my system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Air Quality Index: Recent observations<\/p>\n

Source: AirNow\/Environmental Protection Agency<\/p>\n

The air quality has been affecting employees across Baltimore \u2014 even resulting in the Thursday closure of Roland Park Pool in Baltimore. The pool closed to protect members and employees from the unhealthy air quality, according to Ken Benjes, Roland Park Pool\u2019s general manager.<\/p>\n

Craig Carter, a security and crossing guard at St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore\u2019s camp, is making sure to drink extra water and take breaks in places he can cool off \u2014 such as the building or his car. He makes sure that the children can safely cross the street to Paterson Park and keeps unwanted guests out of the building.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could be in the middle of the street directing traffic, but guess what? I\u2019m hot,\u201d Carter, a Baltimore native, said. \u201cI\u2019m burning up \u2014 but I gotta deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BaltimoreBaltimore resident Emery Sheriff talks outside of Patterson Park about how the unhealthy air quality has affected her health. (Ryan Bowie\/Staff)<\/p>\n

Despite the rough conditions, Carter said the kids seem to enjoy the activities put on by the camp, such as basketball and swimming.<\/p>\n

Alexis Sisco, a Baltimore resident, mainly noticed the \u201cthin veil of smoke\u201d in the sky and the thicker air, but said she isn\u2019t too bothered by the hotter temperatures.<\/p>\n

Sisco puts some of the blame on global warming and pollution, emphasizing the need for people to clean up after themselves and be educated on ways to be eco-friendly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the more high-density trash areas, it\u2019s going to be hot because of the pollution, the smog, the smells carrying,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, the cleaner, the cooler.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AnnapolisAnnapolis resident Patricia Benson, petting her dogs, Archie and Finny, in Patterson Park as she talks about the hot and humid weather. “It’s miserable,” she said. (Ryan Bowie\/Staff)<\/p>\n

Doctors recommend staying indoors and wearing masks when possible \u2014 especially for those who have an underlying condition that could worsen amid poor air quality.<\/p>\n

Dr. Miriam Alexander with LifeBridge Health instructs people to check and replace their home air filters, avoid strenuous outdoor activities and keep windows closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the air quality index indicates unhealthy conditions, the goal is to reduce exposure,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Patricia Benson, an Annapolis resident, was taking her two dogs, Archie and Finny, Thursday afternoon. She said that this year\u2019s wildfire impacts seem worse than those in previous years.<\/p>\n

\u201cHazy, hot and humid for Maryland already,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have a news tip? Contact Nicole Pilsbury at npilsbury@baltsun.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Emery Sheriff\u2019s job consists of standing outside and talking to people passing by, fundraising and canvassing for her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132431,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[7015,28353,17,2867,31584,18917],"class_list":["post-132430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-air-quality","tag-baltimore","tag-canada","tag-canada-wildfires","tag-ozone","tag-pollution"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132430\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}