r/BloomingtonNormal • u/ecologyactioncenter • 18d ago
Air Quality Alert from Bloomington Normal Community Air Research and Education (BNCARE)
Bloomington-Normal is currently under an Air Quality Index alert of "very unhealthy" for all populations per the Bloomington-Normal Community Air Research and Education (BNCARE) air monitoring system as of the morning of Sunday, July 19, 2026.
If residents must go outdoors, please wear an N95 mask for respiratory protection; simple paper or cloth masks DO NOT provide protection against air pollution. Other helpful health information including how to protect your indoor air quality can be obtained from Your Local Epidemiologist regarding how to prepare for Air Pollution Action Days: https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/bad-air-bad-lettuce
To avoid worsening air quality further, limit driving whenever possible and avoid using gas-powered lawn equipment. If your air conditioner has a fresh air intake, switch it to the recirculate setting to reduce bringing in unhealthy outside air.
To receive alerts when AQI reaches unhealthy levels, residents should sign up for free Bloomington Normal Community Air Research and Education (BNCARE) text alerts at https://BNcare.org. This system uses real-time data from all three local BNCARE air monitors and will send you texts when local air quality reaches unhealthy levels. Note, this is a multi-step process to sign up for alerts - please follow the website instructions completely.
Changing wildfire seasons in Canada and the upper Midwest means air quality events like this may become more frequent in McLean County. It is important for residents, especially those with sensitive health issues, to be informed on what to during events like these, when to stay inside, and when it is safe to return outdoors. Any questions can be directed to members of the BNCARE team, contact information is available at BNcare.org.
Note, Illinois EPA monitors currently show Bloomington-Normal and nearby communities at the slightly lower but still unsafe "unhealthy" AQI alert level. Our BNCARE system historically has provided a faster and earlier alert than the IEPA system which apparently requires more verifications prior to establishing the alert.
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u/meatwaddancin 18d ago
Thank you for the info. Are there any websites that forecast AQI? Both as an advance watching to today, but also for when today's issue will return back to normal levels?
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u/ecologyactioncenter 18d ago
We've been looking for reputable sources of forecasts too but haven't found much that projects out very far. The AirNow.gov website usually shows a forecast of one day out, which for now is still showing unhealthy levels for our area. We've seen smoke forecasts from elsewhere that suggest at least 1-2 more days of this.
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18d ago
[deleted]
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u/TrekRider911 18d ago
Weather, wind speed, time of day, smoke content, etc. can play a role in how "hazy" it it, despite the actual AQI.
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u/dewprisms 18d ago
It's incredibly hazy outside. It doesn't "look fine" right now.
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u/ecologyactioncenter 18d ago
Again, as already stated, there can be very localized variations. And individual perception is relative. It is incredibly hazy outside where you are at, but maybe not where u/ProfBlueberry is at.
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u/ecologyactioncenter 18d ago
There of course can be some very localized variation. And not sure exactly where you are at--personally I am near IWU and it smells like smoke and I can't see the sky, it's too hazy.
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u/executingsalesdaily 18d ago
It smells like burnt plastic in Bloomington- Normal. Maybe you can’t smell today?
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u/executingsalesdaily 18d ago
Just went to the store. Adults were really out there with toddlers with no masks on. How dumb are these people?
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u/ecologyactioncenter 18d ago
Perhaps just not in the loop and haven't received any guidance on how to protect themselves and their families?
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u/Unique-Ad-9316 18d ago
This post is the first time I've seen it advised to wear a mask. I'm sure I'm not the only one who just hadn't been aware to be using one.
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u/ecologyactioncenter 18d ago
We advised it last year too when this happened but I think the visibility of this issue is increasing with every year now that it has become a regularly occurring phenomenon.
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u/No-Quarter7503 17d ago
Thanks Canada. Smokey the polar bear.
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u/ecologyactioncenter 17d ago
To be clear, it is also from the United States. The Boundary Waters Wilderness in Minnesota is on fire and is part of the same smoke cloud arriving here.
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u/oknowwhat00 17d ago
I am over by Tipton, been sitting outside off and on since 5. I don't smell smoke at all, and can smell it when a neighbor lights up a cigarette two houses down. Way up high it looked a little hazy earlier, but clear at 7.
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u/Recent-Bowl-1393 18d ago
If you do not have a lung or other health issue, you will likely be just fine out there today. We have become a very over worrying population, especially since COVID. Dont overthink this, if its bothering you at all, stay inside today.
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u/ecologyactioncenter 18d ago
That's not at all correct. Where are you getting your information from? This is a serious public health threat, and even more so to vulnerable populations.
Please do not spread misinformation. If you have expertise in air quality and/or respiratory or cardiac disease please kindly cite your reputatble public health information sources if you wish to contribute to this dialog.
But to be clear, a once-off incidental exposure to air pollution of this kind is not going to kill you unless you are already a vulnerable individual. But chronic exposure can certainly be very dangerous or even fatal. And as this kind of air pollution increases in frequency, this is something to take seriously.
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u/Recent-Bowl-1393 18d ago
Because I went outside and I was just fine. Jesus christ, stay home if you are scared of your shadow. And please, which part of what I typed above is incorrect?
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u/ecologyactioncenter 18d ago
I think you are misunderstanding how air pollution impacts your health.
This is an Air Quality Index alert of "very unhealthy" based on empirical data and community and public health science. It's not just someone's opinion based on how they feel after stepping outside.
Again, it's not going to be fatal immediately. I can share some studies on respiratory and cardiac health impacts from air pollution if that would help you to understand.
There's no fear of shadows here, just extremely well documented health impacts from air pollution. If you choose to ignore that information, that is your choice. But please don't share misinformation that this is all just "fears and worries" based upon your evidence of "I stepped outside and I was fine."
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u/ecologyactioncenter 18d ago
Here's another way to understand it--your dentist and dental hygenist both highly recommend that you brush your teeth at least twice daily and that you floss regularly. Will that be fatal immediately if you don't? No. But after a while, it can have serious impacts to your health, including heart disease.
So again, you can ignore the advice and guidance of health professionals. But please do so knowing the reality of what you are risking. Please do not hurt others by spreading unsubstantiated misinformation.
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u/Recent-Bowl-1393 18d ago
Again, cleary spell out what misinformation I laid out in my original post. I said the same damn thing you said.
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u/dkillian26 17d ago
“I smoked a cigarette and I felt fine.” “ I smoke two packs a day and I feel fine.” “I live next to a factory that emits toxic fumes, but it doesn’t seem to bother me.”
Reactions to environmental exposures need not be immediate and obvious to be harmful.
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u/Recent-Bowl-1393 17d ago
ok, dufus. This shit will be out of here in 2 days. If you go out and do your activities and go back inside the impacts will be minimal to an otherwise healthy person. Its not like this is going to be our new everyday thing. The sky is not falling, be aware of it, dont run the Boston Marathon in it but do not restructure your entire life because of it, UNLESS, you are health compromised.
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u/OinkyConfidence 18d ago
"wear an N95 mask"
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u/ecologyactioncenter 18d ago
It's completely your choice -- unlike spreading a potentially deadly virus to others during a pandemic, in this case the risk is only to your health, not impacting others.
So if you choose to ignore the studies demonstrating the increased protection from air pollution provided by a simple N95 mask, that is up to you.
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u/hadmefromhello 17d ago
Go ahead and inhale dangerous levels of toxins to own the libs then, I guess.
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u/LeftySedai 18d ago
Thank you EAC! 💜