Maine air quality worsens due to Canadian wildfire smoke [Video]

PORTLAND, Maine — Air quality across parts of Maine has deteriorated due to an incoming plume of wildfire smoke from Canada, prompting health advisories from state officials.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced Monday that ground-level particle pollution has reached levels considered Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG). This designation means that while the general public is unlikely to be affected, children, older adults, and people with respiratory or heart conditions such as asthma or COPD may begin to experience health effects.

Elevated particle pollution was first recorded Sunday along Maine’s southwest coast and persisted into Monday morning. Though some improvement is possible during the day, officials say a new wave of smoke—originating from wildfires in western Canada and currently located south of Nova Scotia—is expected to arrive along the Maine …