Live updates as wildfire smoke prompts air quality alerts across Philadelphia region

The Delaware Valley is experiencing a dangerous combination of high heat and wildfire smoke.

READ MORE | Live updates as wildfire smoke prompts air quality alerts across Philadelphia region

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a statewide Code Purple Air Quality Alert for Friday due to the wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota.

Wildfire smoke from Canada is creating a Code Red Air Quality Alert and we'll continue to see some impacts tomorrow.

AccuWeather says the air quality will fluctuate depending on the wind direction, adding that people should monitor the air quality throughout the day.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a statewide Code Red Air Quality Action Day for Thursday

"Our concern as lung doctors isn't so much the smog and the smoke. It's the particles from the smoke, and the combustion that travel hundreds and thousands of miles to get to you," said Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, a pulmonologist and professor at Johns Hopkins University.

RELATED: How to protect yourself from poor air quality as wildfires burn in Canada

Dr. Galiatsatos, who also serves as a volunteer with the American Lung Association, said when you breathe those particles, they can get deep inside your lungs and cause inflammation.

He said exposure to them can lead to coughing, headaches and nausea. He also said for people with vascular issues, it can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

His best piece of advice for people living in the Philadelphia region is to track the air quality with the weather app on your phone or the Air Now website.

According to Dr. Galiatsatos, the air quality index, or AQI, is acceptable if it's between 0 and 50.

But, he said, if the AQI is between 50 and 100, "those with preexisting lung conditions, and those with preexisting heart conditions, you want to try to minimize your time out."

Chopper 6 over Philadelphia skyline as wildfire smoke flows into region

For anything above 100, Dr. Galiatsatos said everyone, regardless of medical history, should limit their time outside.

In June 2023, lingering Canadian wildfire smoke led to major air quality issues in Philadelphia. At the time, the AQI reached a maroon level.

James Garrow, Philadelphia's Deputy Health Commissioner, said that level "is really dangerous for just about everybody, and we made recommendations for everyone to stay inside."

"This is an opportunity for folks to listen to their bodies and make sure that if they're having difficulty breathing, head inside," Garrow said.

Garrow recommends Philadelphians keep track of the air quality on the Breathe Philly website.

As wildfires continue to burn in Canada, poor air quality is becoming a major concern for those living across the upper Midwest and Northeast, as wind directs the smoke into the U.S.

More than 830 wildfires were burning in Canada on Wednesday, along with more than a dozen in northern Minnesota, forcing mandatory evacuations. Some of the largest wildfires are located in west-central Ontario, where they have burned through dense forests, releasing massive amounts of smoke.

The wildfire smoke is also coinciding with a coast-to-coast extreme heat spell in the United States, with many places seeing temperatures in the high 90s and low 100s.

Wildfire smoke can negatively impact your health depending on proximity to the fire and the air quality index. Those with underlying conditions like asthma, COPD, heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease or who are pregnant need to be extra cautious about breathing in wildfire smoke.

As the smoke spreads, here is how you can stay safe from dangerous air quality.

Stay indoors

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the best way to protect yourself from poor air quality is to stay indoors or limit your time outdoors.

Activities like smoking and vaping; using gas, propane, or wood-burning stoves and furnaces; burning candles or incense, and even vacuuming should be avoided, as they can create more fine particles in the air.

If you do need to go outside, Dr. Afif El-Hasan, a California-based pediatrician and member of the American Lung Association's board of directors, advises covering your face in some way, whether with an N95 mask for top protection or a surgical mask or even a handkerchief for lesser protection.

"Putting a handkerchief or something around your face is not perfect, but it's certainly a lot better than trying to breathe the air directly," El-Hasan told ABC News. "So anything people can do, realistically, would be great."

What to do inside the home

The CDC suggests choosing a room you can close off from outside air and setting up a portable air cleaner or a filter to keep the air in the room clean from the outdoors or other parts of the home.

When purchasing an air filter, El-Hasan said to choose one that is HEPA-rated and, ideally, one with a carbon filter attached, which helps reduce harmful chemicals.

The Environmental Protection Agency also notes that windows and doors should be closed, and if you have an HVAC system with a fresh air intake, set the system to recirculate mode or close the outdoor intake damper.

Click here to see other ways to reduce smoke that enters your home.

Monitor local outdoor air quality

According to the CDC, another way to protect yourself is by keeping track of the fires near you by listening to the Emergency Alert System and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio for emergency alerts.

You can also reference AirNow's Fire and Smoke Map, which has a map of fires throughout North America, and NOAA's fire weather outlook page, which maps fire watches and warnings.

In addition to monitoring the outdoor air quality in your area, El-Hasan said it's important that people also recognize the smell of pollution in their area and pay attention to symptoms in their own body.

"The problem with air quality, is that the winds change," he said. "What was good an hour two hours ago may not be the case now. Air quality can even vary from street to street, depending on the air currents in those areas."

Srishti Goel MD, MPH, a public health and general preventive medicine resident, is a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.