NYC air quality alert: How can wildfire smoke affect your health?

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2023

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Wildfire haze health effects

Local hospitals say they’re ready to handle any potential surge in cases of people with breathing problems due to the hazardous air caused by smoke from the Canadian wildfires.

NEW YORK – Headaches, burning eyes, and asthma attacks are just some of the health problems that can be caused by exposure to New York City's air quality on Wednesday.

When we talk about air quality, we often talk about PM2.5. That’s particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller – small enough that it can travel deep into the lungs.

Exposure to PM2.5 from smoke or other air pollution, such as vehicle emissions, can exacerbate health conditions like asthma and reduce lung function in ways that can worsen existing respiratory problems and even heart disease.

"What's in the air is the product of burning forests, basically burning trees and there are very tiny particles that penetrate deeply in the lung and that's why people are getting so sick from it," said Dr. Ian Newmark, Chief of Pulmonology with Syosset Hospital Northwell Health on Long Island. NYC enveloped by wildfire smoke

New York City was enveloped by wildfire smoke on Wednesday, covering the city in an unhealthy haze. The city’s streets took on an eerie quality, as people went about their day.

Mount Sinai Hospital says it has seen an uptick in the number of people coming into its emergency rooms with health-related issues connected to the smoky air.

"Yesterday wasn't quite so pronounced, even this morning wasn't that much different than the usual business," said Dr. Matthew Bai, an emergency room physician at Mt. Sinai Queens. "But later this afternoon, as the air quality worsened, we have started to see a little more respiratory complaints like asthma, shortness of breath."

RELATED: New Yorkers trying to deal with smoky air conditions

Thankfully, thus far Bai said none of the people who had gone to the hospital had life-threatening problems.

The FDNY also said Wednesday that it has not seen an increase in the number of people calling 9-1-1 for health issues, but that it has seen a major increase in 9-1-1 calls from people thinking their building is on fire.

Here's how you can protect your health from the smoky haze. STAY INDOORS

The small particles in wildfire smoke can irritate the eyes, nose and throat, and can affect the heart and lungs, making it harder to breathe. It’s important to limit outdoor activities as much as possible to avoid breathing in these particles, health agencies say. You should especially avoid strenuous activities like going for a run, since heavy breathing will increase the amount of smoke you inhale. And bring pets inside too: Animals are also affected by smoky conditions. KEEP INSIDE AIR CLEAN

When inside, keep doors, windows and fireplaces shut so that smoke stays out. If you have a portable air purifier or HVAC system, run it to help keep the air clean, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends. Check that your filters are high quality and up to date. Make sure any filters or air conditioners are set to recirculate indoor air to avoid bringing in smoke from outside. If you have a window air conditioner, check that it's sealed to the window as tightly as possible. And try to avoid activities that would add more particles to the air in your home — like smoking, burning candles or frying meat. WEAR A MASK

If you go outside in smoky conditions, consider wearing a mask, like an N95, to protect your lungs. The mask should fit over your nose and under your chin, and seal tightly to your face to keep out the smoky air. KNOW YOUR RISK

Some groups should be extra careful as they face higher risks from wildfire smoke. Children and older adults are especially sensitive to smoky conditions. Those with health conditions affecting the lungs or heart — like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — face higher risks from poor air quality, along with those who are pregnant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People in these groups should take extra precautions and monitor for symptoms like coughing, trouble breathing or fatigue.

Written with material from The Associated Press.

Business

Post Office scandal victim died days before compensation letter arrived – as widow says offer an ‘utter disgrace’

Published

2 hours ago

March 7, 2025

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Post Office scandal victim died days before compensation letter arrived - as widow says offer an 'utter disgrace'

The widow of a Post Office scandal victim, who received a compensation offer days after his death, has described the situation as an “utter disgrace”.

Janet Walters, 68, lost her husband Terry in February – a week before a letter arrived offering “less than half” of his original claim for financial redress.

Terry Walters – whose funeral is taking place today – was one of 555 sub-postmasters who won a legal battle against the Post Office in 2019.

Hundreds were falsely accused, and many wrongly convicted, of stealing from their branches between 1999 and 2015.

Janet has described the length of time many victims have had to wait for offers of compensation as another “scandal”.

“I’ve told them I will not accept [the offer],” Janet tells Sky News. “I think it’s an utter disgrace.

“Not when I look at him and I think, no, what you’ve been through – I won’t just take anything and go away.

“It’s a scandal what they did with the Horizon system, it’s a scandal now because of the length of time it’s taken [on redress].”

Terry, who died aged 74, was part of the GLO (Group Litigation Order) Scheme established after the 2019 High Court win.

Its aim is to restore sub-postmasters to the financial position they would have been in had they not become victims of faulty Horizon software which caused false accounting shortfalls.

Terry had his Post Office contract terminated in 2008. He and Janet lost their business and then their family home.

They moved in to rented accommodation where they lived for the past 15 years.

Janet said Terry’s claim was put forward in February 2024 and it has taken a year to receive an offer for redress from the government.

“It should have been a 40-day turnaround of an offer,” she says. “And it’s taken 12 months to receive an offer, an offer which came after Terry had passed away.

“They wanted a stroke report back in September to drag it out a bit more, to see if it’s being caused by all the stress from the Post Office.”

“I think it contributed considerably to the whole state of him,” she added.

Postmasters should be given ‘the benefit of the doubt’, says campaigner

Lord Beamish, a prominent campaigner for justice for Post Office victims, says the redress offer process should “err on the side of the postmaster rather than the Post Office”.

“I think it has been bureaucratic in the past, and I think it’s been trying to get information which is difficult to actually obtain,” he says.

“I think in those cases the benefit of the doubt should be put on the postmaster.”

Lord Beamish is also critical of the 40-working-day turnaround for offers.

“I think individual cases should be dealt with on an individual basis,” he says.

“That 40 days shouldn’t be sacrosanct. If you think it can be turned around within two days or a day, do it.”

He also says “getting people around a table and trying to get a resolution should be the main aim… If it’s questioning about more information – that shouldn’t be a reason for undue delay.”

More than 3,500 sub-postmasters still waiting for compensation

Lord Beamish also highlights concerns over the fact more than 60 victims are yet to submit any claims for redress because they are “very damaged by this process”.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said: “We are sorry to hear of Terry’s death and our thoughts are with Janet and the rest of his family and friends.”

They added they have now issued 407 offers to the 425 GLO claimants “who have submitted full claims” and are “making offers to 89% of GLO claimants within 40 working days of receipt of a full claim, with over half of eligible claimants having now settled their claim.”

The DBT also said it has “doubled” the amount of payments under the Labour government to “provide postmasters with full and fair redress”.

The latest government data shows that out of the 425 GLO claimants, 265 have had their claims paid, with 160 waiting.

According to the figures for the HSS (Horizon Shortfall Scheme), 2,090 out of 2,417 eligible claims made before their original deadline in 2020 have been paid – leaving over 300 still waiting.

Out of the 4,665 “late” claims, 1,260 have been paid, with more than 3,400 now waiting.

Politics

Police charge former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson and ex-deputy council leader Derek Hatton with bribery

Published

3 hours ago

March 7, 2025

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Police charge former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson and ex-deputy council leader Derek Hatton with bribery

Former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson and former deputy leader Derek Hatton are among 12 people who have been charged as part of an investigation into council corruption.

Anderson, 67, who was first arrested in December 2020, has been charged with bribery, misconduct in a public office and conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office, Merseyside Police said on Friday.

Hatton, 77, who was deputy leader in the 1980s and a known militant figure on the Labour left, has been charged with bribery and one count of counsel or procure misconduct in a public office.

Anderson’s son David Anderson, 37, of Wavertree, is charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.

The charges are part of a long-running investigation known as Operation Aloft, which was launched by police to look into the the awarding of commercial and business contracts from Liverpool City Council between 2010 and 2020.

Other people charged include the former assistant director of highways and planning and the former head of regeneration.

The full charges are:

David Anderson, 37 years, Wincanton Street, Wavertree, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office
Joseph Anderson, 67 years, of The Beechwalk, Knotty Ash, charged with one count of Bribery, one count of misconduct in a public office and one count of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office – former Mayor of Liverpool
Andrew Barr, 51 years, of Kendal Way, Ainsdale, charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office and one count of bribery – former Assistant Director at Liverpool City Council
Phillipa Cook, 49 years of Rookery Drive, Mossley Hill, charged with two counts of bribery
Alex Croft, 29 years, of Bold Lane, Aughton, Lancashire, charged with one count of bribery
Julian Flanagan, 53 years, of Poplar Avenue, Crosby charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery
Paul Flanagan 61 years, of Ormskirk Road, Knowsley Village, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery
Derek Hatton, 77 years, of Livingston Drive, Aigburth, charged with one count of bribery and one count of counsel or procure misconduct in a public office
Sonjia Hatton, 49 years, of Livingston Drive, Aigburth, charged with one count of misconduct in a public office
Nicholas Kavanagh, 56 years, of Rookery Drive, Mossley Hill, charged with two counts of bribery – former Director at Liverpool City Council
Adam McLean, 54 years, of Acrefield Road, Woolton, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery
James Shalliker, 38 years of School Lane, Downholland, Lancashire, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery

A spokesman for Merseyside Police said all 12 were due to appear at Preston Magistrates’ Court on 28 March.

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Entertainment

Remember Monday announced as UK’s Eurovision 2025 act

Published

4 hours ago

March 7, 2025

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Remember Monday announced as UK's Eurovision 2025 act

The UK’s entry for this year’s Eurovision song contest has been revealed.

Country pop band Remember Monday will perform their song What The Hell Just Happened? at the contest, which is being held art the St Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland, between 13 and 17 May.

The trio is made up of Charlotte Steele, Lauren Byrne and Holly-Anne Hull, who met at sixth form.

They will be the first girl band to represent the UK since 1999 when the group Precious entered with the song Say It Again.

Last year Olly Alexander’s performance with disco-style Dizzy saw the UK come 18th in Malmo, Sweden, while Mae Muller’s I Wrote A Song landed in second to last place in Liverpool in 2023.

‘A crazy honour’

Speaking on the Scott Mills Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 on Friday, the band said they “feel like they are on another planet” after the announcement.

“(Our song) What The Hell Just Happened? is exactly how we’re feeling right now. It’s all very surreal; our friendship goes so far back, and we definitely never imagined that we’d be doing anything like this,” the band said.

“When you’re a kid and people ask you what you want to be when you grow up, an absolute classic is ‘I wanna be a pop star’, so the fact that we’re getting the chance to live that dream as three best friends is just wild.

“We’re going to be the first girl band to represent the UK since 1999, which feels like such a crazy honour.”

They said they want to bring “loads of fun” to the contest and “do something that you won’t have seen before on the Eurovision stage”.

They added: “This is really the music World Cup and we’ll do our best to bring it home.”

The trio already have a large following on social media, including over 500,000 followers on TikTok and 11 million likes.

They also appeared on singing competition show The Voice UK in 2019, where they were coached by Jennifer Hudson and were eliminated before the final of the competition.

The band has released a number of tracks since appearing on The Voice, including their EP Crazy Anyway which came out last October. They have also supported the likes of Tom Jones and American singer Dasha at their headline shows.