Montana Officials Urge People To Stay Indoors

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MTDEQ) is urging some residents to remain indoors until air quality improves noting that wildfire smoke has created a poor environment for sensitive groups in parts of the state.
According to a webpage for the MTDEQ, air quality in Broadus, a town in eastern Montana, spiked to unhealthy levels on Tuesday morning. Unhealthy air quality levels occur when the air quality index (AQI) is measured between 151 and 200. In western Montana, poor air quality was noted on Monday, prompting MTDEQ officials to issue an air quality alert.
The air quality alert for western Montana was in place for Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, Granite, Lake, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli, Sanders and Silver Bow counties, according to a report from the National Weather Service (NWS). The air quality alert is expected to remain in place until 4 p.m. local time on Tuesday because of elevated particulate levels from wildfire smoke, the alert said.
Particulate levels on Monday afternoon were noted to range from “moderate” to “very unhealthy” in the impacted areas.
“When air quality is Very Unhealthy… State and local health officials recommend that people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly, and children should avoid any outdoor activity; everyone else should avoid prolonged exertion,” the alert said.
The alert will be updated on Tuesday afternoon. MTDEQ measurements on Tuesday show that air quality has improved across much of western Montana, although some areas in eastern Montana, such as Broadus, still showed concerning levels.
Summer wildfires largely contribute to poor air quality in Montana, the MTDEQ website said. According to a map from the Fire, Weather and Avalanche Center, several wildfires are burning across Montana. Although smoke can migrate for miles, NWS meteorologist Luke Robinson told Newsweek that the smoke contributing to poor air quality in Montana this week was from local fires.
Robinson said that smoke will remain in the region this week, although wildfire activity will determine how thick the smoke is. Other weather threats on Tuesday included isolated showers and thunderstorms in western Montana with the capability of producing winds as strong as 40 mph.
Wildfire season in Montana runs from April to October, the MTDEQ said.
People sensitive to unhealthy air quality, such as children and the elderly, should limit their exertion when levels are in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category.
Young children are more sensitive to air pollution given that they breathe more rapidly than adults, among other factors, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“Children are physiologically more vulnerable to air pollution than adults because their brains, lungs and other organs are still developing,” a UNICEF website said. “Some air pollutants can cross the placenta and affect developing babies. Air pollution can also affect lung function and development, which continues through adolescence.”