COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The haze across central Ohio on Wednesday was noticeable no matter where you were, with air quality levels were worse than they were earlier in June, when there was also an Air Quality Alert.
“This is the worst it’s been in my career,” Dr. Loren Wold with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center said. “I started working in the field of air pollution in 2006 and this is the worst we’ve ever seen. I’ve been in Columbus since 2007 and this is just the worst we’ve ever seen. It makes me fearful of what we might see in the years to come.”
Wold studies the long-term effects of air pollution. Under current conditions brought about by the smoke from the wildfires in Canada, he recommends people limit their time outside, especially if they already have breathing problems.
“Even for healthy folks, they can experience acute respiratory effects,” Wold said. “Coughing, sneezing, really breathing issues are the common thing. For those with preexisting conditions they can be even much worse.”
The area was in an unhealthy level on the air quality scale all day Wednesday. At times, the Dublin Hilliard area was at what’s considered a very unhealthy level.
“We drove up from South Carolina yesterday and thought, ‘Wow, it’s kind of foggy around here,’” said Becky Bly. “Further north we got, we were like, ‘No, this is Canada smoke.’ We used to live here for 18 years and I’ve never seen it like this before.”
Some were still running outside Wednesday, which doctors do not recommend. Cassie Dickerson usually runs outside in the morning. On Wednesday morning, she walked instead because she could tell things were not great out.
“The air quality has definitely been noticeably different over the last few days. I think this morning it’s been the worst of the days. It’s just a bit foggy and hazy, just looks weird outside,” she said.