Health experts explain how to keep Minnesota kids safe outside when air quality dips

Hazy, smoke-filled skies prompted yet another red alert for air quality Tuesday, pushing a St. Paul Public Schools' outdoor program indoors, and sparking conversations among officials about canceling a Wednesday morning canoe trip.

It's at least the second such programming pivot the school district has taken this summer as the Twin Cities experience a protracted period of poor air quality from Canadian wildfire smoke and ozone pollution. Experts say it's likely to last all summer as thousands of kids participate in Minneapolis and St. Paul summer programs, raising safety questions for parents as air quality alerts have become a fixture of smartphone weather apps.

Dr. Keith Cavanaugh, a pediatric pulmonologist at Children's Minnesota, said most parents should watch for children running out of breath, coughing or otherwise slowing down while they play outside. At that point, kids participating in particularly strenuous activities — think soccer or other sports that require a lot of running — might want to consider taking a break or heading inside.

"The concern for children is mostly short term," Cavanaugh said, noting some kids face elevated health risks.

If the air quality index (AQI) hits the red, asthmatic children may run the risk of hospitalization. Even air that looks clear can have ozone pollution.

Shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday, hourly air quality index readings in the central Twin Cities had reached the red category, meaning air was unhealthy for everyone to breathe, according to the Environmental Protection Agency and the private company Purple Air.

David Brown, an air quality forecaster for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), said two plumes combined to make the sky hazy — ground-level smoke from just north of the border in Ontario was mixing with the edge of a much larger plume from Quebec, which is lingering over a large swath of the Great Lakes region.

The MPCA issued a warning of bad air quality until midnight Thursday. So far this year the agency has warned the public about bad air on 26 days, and there have been 30 total days with damaging pollution readings — a record stretching back to at least 2000, Brown said.

It's been a challenging event to forecast, he said. "With this particular event the smoke models haven't been handling this ground-level smoke very well. They keep indicating things will clear out, but it keeps building and building," he said.

If it feels uncomfortable to step outside, Cavanaugh said, it's likely dangerous to engage in extensive physical activity. Parents of children with asthma should make sure they have inhalers and other medication on hand.

"Remember: Your lungs are exposed to everything your skin is exposed to," Cavanaugh said.

Consider time of day

Nick Witcraft, a research scientist and meteorologist for the MPCA, said ozone pollution is typically at its worst from noon to early evening.

That's because ozone needs sunlight to form, so health experts say it's best to limit outdoor activities — for kids and adults — to the morning and late evenings. Wildfire smoke, on the other hand, ebbs and flows at the whims of the blazes from which it originates.

Cavanaugh said that while it's essential for children to get exercise, families should keep their plans fluid when they see air quality alerts in the forecast.

"I think it's important they have the ability to adapt when conditions are poor," he said. "Sometimes what's best is for kids not to be outside in that climate."

Agencies that provide summer activities for children, from parks boards to school districts, also rely on the air quality index and guidance from the MPCA to decide when to alter or cancel outdoor programs.

Witcraft said the Twin Cities typically experiences between two and four days that reach the orange level on the index from late spring through summer. So far this season, the region has registered 13.

"This is largely due to wildfire smoke from Canada, with the dry and hot conditions also playing a role," Witcraft said.

Keep plans flexible

The Minneapolis Park Board typically calls off activities when the air index hits the red or the heat index reaches 105. Park officials in Minneapolis and St. Paul both called off outdoor programs June 14 when the region recorded some of the worst air quality in the U.S.

Minneapolis canceled its outdoor activities for the day, including that evening's Movies in the Park screenings, as well as athletics field reservations. St. Paul Parks and Recreation also canceled outdoor baseball, softball and T-ball games and practices for about 1,400 kids.

"It's difficult to make those decisions but you've got to keep the best interests of the youth in mind," said Mimi Kalb, the agency's assistant superintendent of recreation.

Minneapolis Public Schools also advised administrators overseeing summer programs to move activities indoors that day. Program leaders monitor the air quality index and the forecast, spokeswoman Crystina Lugo-Beach said, and are advised to give parents a heads up if they see orange or red in the forecast.

The district has air filters on hand that it acquired to improve circulation in its classrooms at the beginning of the pandemic. Program leaders are also asked to advise parents about poor air quality conditions ahead of any field trips so parents can decide whether to keep their kids home that day.

"We believe it's important to offer outdoor activities, as we know youth have more engagement, energy, connection to the neighborhood and fun when activities are held outside," Lugo-Beach said in an email.

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