ALBANY COUNTY — Most of New York State — including Albany County in the Upper Hudson Valley — was colored red on Monday by the Department of Environmental Conservation, signifying “unhealthy” air quality.
The Upper Hudson Valley is also among the regions that will be under a health advisory on Tuesday.

While last month, the Canadian wildfires causing the smoke-filled air locally were burning in Québec and Ontario, now the particulate matter is coming from wildfires in western Canada, according DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos.

“Most of those fires are out of control …,” he said. “We expect those fires to continue.”

Seggos spoke to the press, along with Health Commissioner James McDonald, on Monday afternoon during a conference call.

“It’s been an extraordinary summer,” said Seggos, noting that 25 million acres of forest have burned in Canada while, at the same time, floods in New York and neighboring states have been prevalent.

While New York state had a high risk of fires in June, the rains have quelled that risk, Seggos said.

“This is the new unprecedented,” said Seggos. “It’s fueled by climate change.” He noted the extreme heat in the southern United States and the high temperatures of ocean waters, calling it “a difficult year, not just here in New York but nationally.”

Governor Kathy Hocul spoke from Cooperstown, but not at Doubleday Field as planned. “Literally since I arrived here, the air quality in Cooperstown went from 71 to 136, and anything above 50 is considered ‘unhealthy,’” she said.

“But, when you get into the range of 100 to 150, you’re really in a category where people who have any kind of health conditions, whether they have asthma, or chronic respiratory or heart issues, those individuals really need to stay indoors because it is unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

Hochul also said, “We just received word that tomorrow we’re going to be issuing air quality advisories in Western New York, Eastern Lake Ontario, Central New York, Adirondacks, Upper Hudson Valley. And that’ll be unhealthy, literally the 151 to 200 range.”

During the 2:30 p.m. conference call, Seggos said the air quality index number for Albany was 126.

At 6 p.m., Albany was listed at 154, which is considered “unhealthy,” on the AirNow.gov site, run by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Most of the state was labeled as “unhealthy” because of the particulate matter caused by the wildfires but New York City and Long Island, which were labeled as “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” had the poor air quality because of ozone.

Seggos explained to Lisa Colangelo, a reporter from Newsday, that ozone pollution is caused by ground-level fossil fuels activated when the sun hits. “The two are interrelated,” Seggos said of air-quality problems caused by particulate matter and high ozone levels.

McDonald said it was important for New Yorkers to listen to their bodies. He urged people to consult an app on their phone — from AirNow.gov — and to use an N 95 mask if they have to go outside when the air quality is considered “unhealthy.”

Particulate matter can trigger problems with the heart and lungs, he said.

Hochul said the state is continuing to distribute N95 masks and that phone alerts will be issued if the air-quality index numbers reach 200 or higher.