According to British media outlet talkSPORT, dangerous air conditions have been created in northern New Jersey due to smoke from multiple wildfires across Canada, disrupting Spain's training ahead of Sunday's World Cup final.
Officials in several U.S. cities have urged residents to stay indoors as much as possible. If they must go out, they are advised to wear masks, as air quality has reached levels harmful to everyone, including athletes.
In fact, wildfire smoke is said to contain thousands of toxins. Multiple medical studies have shown that it causes tens of thousands of deaths each year because it triggers inflammation and attacks almost every system in the human body.
The Spanish national team is currently training in northern New Jersey, but details of Thursday's training session are unclear. Media personnel were only allowed to watch the first 15 minutes of the scheduled one-hour session.
“These are top athletes who put a lot of air into their lungs every time they train and every game,” Dr. Courtney Howard, an emergency room physician and official with the Global Climate and Health Alliance, told the Associated Press.
"If the air quality has deteriorated to the dangerous level of wildfire pollution, they really shouldn't be training outdoors."
"At this point, training should be moved indoors. You can certainly give them N95 masks, but to ensure that everyone's mask fits properly, I doubt that's the best option."
“I will find an indoor facility with air conditioning and use it as a haven for clean air.”
On Thursday, particulate matter pollution in New Jersey was reportedly more than seven times higher than the standards set by the World Health Organization.
"It's unhealthy for anyone to be in smoke, especially when you're exercising," said Mary Johnson, an environmental health researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health.
"You will exchange more air, so you will be exposed to more pollutants. Even healthy people will experience some kind of health effect sooner or later from exposure to smog."
"Therefore, even though these people are young and healthy, they are not suitable for exercising in this kind of environment."
However, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow monitoring system, by the afternoon, air pollution levels had improved slightly, and the "unhealthy" air quality had deteriorated to "unhealthy for sensitive populations".
Argentina has not yet been affected by the smoke, although they have experienced some travel disruptions. After their 2-1 comeback victory against England on Wednesday, they opted to remain in Marietta, Georgia, to continue training.
