NNew York This Thursday dawned with a landscape that was difficult to recognize. The profile of manhattan It disappeared behind a thick gray cloud and the masks, almost forgotten since the pandemic, reappeared on the streets. Three days before the World Cup final between Spain and Argentinathe Canadian wildfires have placed the largest sporting event on the planet under an unexpected threat.
They should not train outdoors when air quality reaches dangerous levels. I would look for an indoor facility with clean air
The concern exists, but in FIFA no one is talking about an imminent suspension. The smoke coming from the canada wildfires has placed the MetLife Stadium under permanent surveillance. Not because there is an immediate threat of suspension, but because Air quality has become the factor that most concerns health and meteorological authorities from New York and New Jersey.
The AQI, the number that can decide the final
The authorities have issued alerts for air pollution, recommending reducing the outdoor physical activity and take extreme precautionsespecially among people with respiratory diseases. The index that everyone observes is the AQI (Air Quality Index), the scale that measures the concentration of polluting particles in the air and that can change radically in a matter of hours depending on the wind. However, it is not the images of the gray sky that will decide whether the final is played. Nor the smell of smoke that is already perceived in much of the New York metropolitan area. What really matters is the AQI.
What really matters is the AQI: ‘Very harmful’ mark at 7:14 p.m. on Thursday.
When this index exceeds certain levels, health authorities consider that the air is no longer safe for intense exercise. This Thursday, different measuring stations placed the air quality between “unhealthy for sensitive groups” and even “dangerous” at some times of the day in areas of New Jersey. However, there appears one of the great unknowns of the World Cup: FIFA has never publicly explained what the exact limit would be for postponing a match due to air pollution. And everything would be in the hands of the health and meteorological authorities… and if at any point an unhealthy point is reached.
The rain plays in your favor
Despite the concern, the weather models are in favor of the final. lThe meteorological services predict heavy rains on Saturday and the entry of a cold front in the early hours of Sunday that should displace much of the smoke accumulated over New York and New Jersey before kickoff. For that reason, Neither the authorities nor FIFA currently contemplate a postponement scenario. Of course, experts remember that the evolution of the smoke depends on the wind and that the situation can change quickly. That is why the measurements continue to be updated practically in real time.
“They are elite athletes who move enormous amounts of air through their lungs. They should not train outdoors when air quality reaches dangerous levels. I would look for an indoor facility with clean air,” explained the doctor Courtney Howardemergency physician and representative of the Global Climate and Health Alliance in AP after Luis de la Fuente’s national team training outdoors in East Hanover under a thick layer of smoke.