Is it safe to work and commute outside? What experts advise as wildfire smoke stifles East Coast.
CBSN
Millions of Americans face poor air quality advisories as smoke from Canadian wildfires sweeps across the Northeast, afflicting outdoor workers, commuters and just about anyone who ventures outside Wednesday in affected areas.
Although health experts recommend staying indoors, that's not possible for people whose work requires them to be outdoors, noted Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, a lung specialist who is a spokesperson for the American Lung Association.
"Ideally, a lung doctor would say, 'If you can stay home, stay home'," Dr. Galiatsatos told CBS MoneyWatch. "But people are going to come back to me and say, 'I need to go outside and work'."
Almost four out of every 10 people in the United States live in a place where air pollution is considered bad enough to put their health at risk, the American Lung Association warned in its latest "State of the Air" report released on Wednesday. That proportion of people — about 39% of the population — had risen sharply since earlier rounds of pollutant data were analyzed for the annual report last year, and the trends were especially pronounced in certain parts of the country.
Between now and 2030, about 10,000 Americans will turn 65 every single day, highlighting a growing concern about the nation's preparedness for elder care often falling on the shoulders of their adult children. This has given rise to a term known as the "sandwich generation," defined as adults who find themselves caring for their aging parents while still raising their own children.