Local High School Monitoring Air Conditions

The smoke is heavy in the air, which can cause irritation for some Waukesha residents. At least one Waukesha high school is monitoring the conditions for its outdoor sports.

“We plan to review the situation at the end of school today,” said athletic director Dan Domach in an e-mail to Waukesha Patch on Tuesday afternoon. “No changes have been made at this time.”

Wildfires in northern Minnesota have created here in southeastern Wisconsin.

and ProHealth Care spokeswoman Sandra Peterson said the emergency room department manager reported having people in the emergency room with difficulty breathing, but that’s what the emergency room sees on a regular basis.

“It is not a huge jump from the normal (number of patients),” Peterson said.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued a news release stating it is monitoring the air quality values.

According to the DNR news release, the following symptoms of smoke exposure for health people include:

• Eye, nose and throat irritation
• Breathing discomfort
• Chest tightness
• Wheezing
• Shortness of breath
• Coughing

Smoke exposure can aggravate chronic lung or cardiovascular disease, the release states, and people who are more sensitive to the smoke should stay indoors and keep the doors and windows closed, use a high-efficiency particulate air filter and reduce other sources of indoor air pollution.