PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 14, 2024
Maine’s air quality index has been downgraded Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to drift over the state. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is reporting particle pollution as “moderate” for the most heavily populated southern and coastal regions of the state. Air quality in the northern regions of the state is classified as “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” Climate change is contributing to more wildfires in dry regions of Canada and the U.S., making poor air quality from wildfire smoke more likely to be a recurring event, experts have said.