On Thursday morning, a monitor at Milwaukee’s Sixteenth Street Community Health Center reported air pollution nearly three times the concentration at which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies air quality as “hazardous.”

The PM2.5, or fine-air particle pollution, measurement at the health center was recorded as 656. Anything above 225.5 is considered hazardous. 

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued a statewide air quality advisory that runs through noon Sunday. The poor air quality is the result of wildfires raging in Canada and Minnesota. 

A press release issued Thursday by Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the City of Milwaukee urged residents to limit their exposure to smoky air, especially children, older adults, pregnant people, and those with asthma, heart disease or other underlying conditions. 

“During periods of very poor air quality, even healthy individuals may experience eye irritation, coughing, sore throat, or shortness of breath,” the release stated. 

Things to be careful for

People should watch for symptoms such as coughing, trouble breathing, wheezing, chest pain, tiredness and headaches, among others, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Residents can check air quality advisories issued by the Department of Natural Resources. 

In response to the poor air quality, the Milwaukee Health Department and Department of Public Works are suspending non-emergency field operations. Garbage pickup and recycling services are also suspended until further notice. 

Milwaukee Recreation cancelled all outdoor programs, including wading pools and playground meal sites, though indoor programs will continue. 

Residents can contact Milwaukee Recreation at (414) 475-8180 with any questions.

More tips for residents

• Stay indoors as much as possible. Avoid strenuous outdoor activity if you are out.
• Keep doors and windows closed.
• Run air conditioning on recirculate, if your unit has that function.
• Use a portable air cleaner or high-efficiency air filter if you can.
• Consider wearing a well-fitting N95 respirator if you are outside.
• Check on family, friends, neighbors and others who may be vulnerable to poor air quality.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Milwaukee is experiencing dangerous air quality. Here’s how you can stay safe.

by Devin Blake, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
July 16, 2026

<h1>Milwaukee is experiencing dangerous air quality. Here’s how you can stay safe.</h1> <p class="byline">by Devin Blake, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service <br />July 16, 2026</p> <p>On Thursday morning, <a href="https://airquality.wi.gov/">a monitor at Milwaukee's Sixteenth Street Community Health Center reported</a> air pollution nearly three times the concentration at which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies air quality as “hazardous.”</p> <p>The PM2.5, or fine-air particle pollution, measurement at the health center was recorded as 656. Anything above 225.5 is considered hazardous.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued a statewide air quality advisory that runs through noon Sunday. The poor air quality is the result of wildfires raging in Canada and Minnesota.&nbsp;</p> <p>A press release issued Thursday by Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the City of Milwaukee urged residents to limit their exposure to smoky air, especially children, older adults, pregnant people, and those with asthma, heart disease or other underlying conditions.&nbsp;</p> <p>“During periods of very poor air quality, even healthy individuals may experience eye irritation, coughing, sore throat, or shortness of breath,” the release stated.&nbsp;</p> <div class="wp-block-columns alignfull"> <div class="wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://i0.wp.com/milwaukeenns.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/G86A9966-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&amp;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-169346" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A layer of smoke sits on top of the intersection of West Lisbon Avenue and North Sherman Boulevard on Thursday. (Photo by Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local)</figcaption></figure> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://i0.wp.com/milwaukeenns.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/DJI_0266-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&amp;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-169348" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Washington Park is draped in smoke from wildfires in Canada on Thursday, July 16, 2026 in Milwaukee. (Photo by Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local)</figcaption></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Things to be careful for</strong></h2> <p>People should watch for symptoms such as coughing, trouble breathing, wheezing, chest pain, tiredness and headaches, among others, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/wildfires/risk-factors/index.html">according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>Residents can check air quality <a href="https://airquality.wi.gov/">advisories issued by the Department of Natural Resources</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>In response to the poor air quality, the Milwaukee Health Department and Department of Public Works are suspending non-emergency field operations. Garbage pickup and recycling services are also suspended until further notice. </p> <p>Milwaukee Recreation cancelled all outdoor programs, including wading pools and playground meal sites, though indoor programs will continue.&nbsp;</p> <p>Residents can contact Milwaukee Recreation at (414) 475-8180 with any questions.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>More tips for residents</strong></h2> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Stay indoors as much as possible. Avoid strenuous outdoor activity if you are out.</li> <li>Keep doors and windows closed.</li> <li>Run air conditioning on recirculate, if your unit has that function.</li> <li>Use a portable air cleaner or high-efficiency air filter if you can.</li> <li>Consider wearing a well-fitting N95 respirator if you are outside.</li> <li>Check on family, friends, neighbors and others who may be vulnerable to poor air quality.</li> </ul> <figure class="wp-block-image alignfull size-full"><img src="https://i0.wp.com/milwaukeenns.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/G86A9955-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1708&amp;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-169347" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A person drives a cart through the smoke-blanketed soccer fields at Washington Park on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 in Milwaukee. The smoke draped over Milwaukee due to wildfires in Canada. (Photo by Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local)</figcaption></figure> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <p><em>Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.catchlight.io/local"><em>CatchLight Local&nbsp;</em></a><em>and&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.reportforamerica.org/"><em>Report for America</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/2026/07/16/milwaukee-is-experiencing-dangerous-air-quality-heres-how-you-can-stay-safe/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org&quot;&gt;Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/milwaukeenns.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-NNS-Favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=169345&amp;amp;ga4=G-HGM4XK3QCM&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/2026/07/16/milwaukee-is-experiencing-dangerous-air-quality-heres-how-you-can-stay-safe/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/milwaukeenns.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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