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In St. Louis the air quality is forecast to be unhealthy on Friday for older people, children and those with heart or lung conditions on Friday, according to the Weather Service. Similar conditions are expected farther east in Louisville, Ky., where smoke from the Canadian wildfires will continue to seep into the region on Friday, causing hazy skies, the Weather Service said. (6/8)

Philadelphia is experiencing its worst air quality in at least 24 years as the noxious haze from the Canadian wildfires blanketing the East Coast this week has caused “hazardous” air quality that city officials say should keep residents indoors until conditions improve. ... The Air Quality Index in Philadelphia was at 361 as of 8 a.m. Thursday, significantly worse than the air-quality levels in other major East Coast cities hit by the smoke like New York and Washington. (Bella, 6/8)

Some healthcare providers in the Midwest say they are seeing more respiratory illnesses in the past few days possibly related to the wildfires in Canada. Air quality across the Midwest dipped to concerning levels beginning Tuesday. In Iowa, providers at MercyOne clinics around Des Moines say more patients than usual are showing up with symptoms in line with air pollution, including exacerbated asthma and COPD. (Mansouri, 6/8)

From dog walkers to delivery drivers, from landscapers to farm laborers, many workers whose jobs require time in the outdoors have plowed on this week, even as smoke from wildfires raging in Canada has created abysmal air quality up and down the East Coast. Their predicament reveals how outdoor laborers, more than any other segment of the workforce, remain vulnerable when it comes to climate change. (Verma, Shaban, Dennis, Peiser and Gregg, 6/8)

As the world warms, disasters collide. That’s happening right now, as health experts warn that  exposure to wildfire smoke across North America increases the risks of catching Covid-19 and worsens the impacts for people who already have or are particularly susceptible to the virus. “Exposure to air pollution from wildfire smoke can increase susceptibility to Covid and other respiratory diseases,” says Kristie Ebi, a climate and health professor at the University of Washington. (Hirji, 6/8)

Itchy eyes, a scratchy throat and a cough probably come as no surprise when the air is thick with wildfire smoke. But poor air quality can contribute to less expected symptoms, too. It is not uncommon for people to also experience chest pain, headaches and dizziness, according to Dr. Gregory Wu, a critical care medicine physician at Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York. (Lovelace Jr., 6/8)

Are health risks lower during a first-time wildfire smoke event? People in the Northeast may like to think they are not at risk from the wildfire smoke drifting down from Canada because research on health effects comes largely from regions where people are exposed to wildfire smoke for weeks at a time, year after year. "The bad news is, there's no safe level" of inhaled particles from wildfire smoke, said Doug Brugge, a public health researcher at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. (Lapid, 6/8)

The haze is a noxious mixture of particles and gases that can spread across long distances, potentially harming anything with a heartbeat. (Patel and Chiu, 6/8)

In addition to wearing a mask, staying indoors and upgrading your home’s HVAC filters, you can try a portable air purifier, also known as an air cleaner, to reduce hazardous pollutants inside your home. Here’s what you should look for in an air purifier. (Jeong, Koncius and Kurzius, 6/8)

Progressive lawmakers and activists are again imploring President Joe Biden to declare a climate emergency, citing the thick blanket of smoke from Canadian wildfires now shrouding the US Capitol and swaths of the Eastern seaboard. (Natter, 6/8)