Seattle and Portland, Oregon, were first and second, respectively, in the global ranking of places with the poorest air quality, according to IQAir, a Swiss company that measures air pollution.
Air quality issues have persisted for about a month because of the prolonged fires burning west of the Cascades.
That’s what’s been contributing to the persistent air quality issues we’ve had."
Sports and other outdoor activities in the Pacific Northwest have been called off due to the poor air quality.
The problem is worst in the West, where rising air pollution levels due to smoke have reversed decades of improvements in overall air quality.