More than 115 million people from the Midwest to the East Coast are breathing under hazardous air quality alerts as dangerous smoke from wildfires in Canada drifts into the U.S. Aggravating the problem is the ongoing extreme heat which is pushing the smoke closer to the ground.

The murky air is covering as many as 20 states from Minnesota to Vermont and is moving farther south with unhealthy air levels reported in Virginia and North Carolina. A large swath of the country is affected ─ the Midwest, New England, the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas seeing dense smoke. Fans attending Sunday afternoon’s World Cup Final in East Rutherford, New Jersey may be watching through smoke filled skies.

Numerous states have issued air quality alerts due to the thick smoke and fine particles in the air which are hazardous to breathe.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO Follow the advice of local officials regarding the air quality where you live and work. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), wildfire smoke is a mix of gases and fine particles that can make anyone sick. People with asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), heart disease, who are pregnant and children and responders are especially at risk.

Breathing in the smoke can cause almost immediate effects such as coughing, trouble breathing, wheezing, asthma attacks, stinging eyes, scratchy throat, runny nose and irritated sinuses, headaches, being tired, chest pain and a fast heartbeat.

Most importantly, try to keep the smoke outside.

• Keep windows and doors closed. Choose a room you can close off from outside air.
• Use fans and air conditioning to stay cool.
• Set up a portable air cleaner or a filter to keep the air in this room clean even if it’s smoky in the rest of the building and outdoors. 
• Avoid using candles, gas, propane, wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, or aerosol sprays and don’t fry or broil meat, smoke tobacco products or vacuum.
• If you have a central air conditioning system, use high efficiency filters to capture fine particles from the smoke. If your system has a fresh air intake, set the system to recirculate mode or close the outdoor intake damper.
• If you’re in your car, set the air to recirculate.
• Pay attention to any health symptoms if you have asthma, COPD, heart disease, or are pregnant. Get medical help if you need it.
• Use N95 face masks or respirator masks. Make sure to cover both your nose and mouth.