Despite air quality readings across the Finger Lakes and Central New York that far surpassed unsafe levels for all people – many were surprised at the number of folks still out working on Wednesday.
Wildfires in parts of Canada brought a smokey haze, along with distinct gray-orange glow to the region.
Officials at all levels discouraged outdoor activity, with many canceling events.
The extent to which the air quality deteriorated might have been a surprise for some, but workers we spoke with across the region, who remained outdoors- said it wasn’t even discussed.
“It’s not very good,” a worker who spoke to FingerLakes1.com on condition on anonymity said. He was standing on the back of a recycle truck, picking up bins from the side of the road. “They talked about moving pick-up, but they were worried about call-outs tomorrow if they knew we’d all have to work overtime.”
As for the symptoms of working outside in that air quality – it was a mixed bag. Two of the workers we spoke with said they were experiencing headaches and dry throat. Two others said they could smell it, but didn’t have a big impact. “Smells like we’re out here camping,” the worker told us as we talked with his co-worker.
This was the case was repeated a number of times throughout the region.
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