When wildfire smoke makes outside air dangerous, outdoor workers face a Catch-22: keep working or risk their health

A delivery worker sits under the under a bridge in New York.
 (Photo by Amr Alfiky, Reuters, via The Washington Post)

In regions experiencing wildfire smoke, outdoor workers face a dilemma: making a paycheck or staying away from hazardous air. "From dog walkers to delivery drivers, from landscapers to farm laborers, many workers whose jobs require time in the outdoors have plowed on this week, even as smoke from wildfires raging in Canada has created abysmal air quality up and down the East Coast," write Pranshu Verma, Hamza Shaban, Brady Dennis, Jaclyn Peise and Aaron Gregg of The Washington Post. "Their predicament reveals how outdoor laborers, more than any other segment of the workforce, remain vulnerable when it comes to climate change."

Some businesses were able to help their employees take precautions or delay outdoor work until air quality improved. "A restaurant owner in Philadelphia shut down outdoor dining at some locations to keep staff out of harm's way. The city of Allentown, Pa., sent parks and recreation workers home," the Post writes. "Amtrak was among numerous companies that made masks available to workers that wanted them, and said it would delay 'noncritical' work in areas deemed hazardous."

As precautions and shutdowns cost some outdoor workers a chunk of income, "Outdoor work plowed on unabated for many people up and down the East Coast this week, despite the thick, dirty and potentially dangerous air," the Post reports. Panagis Galiatsatos, a pulmonary medicine physician at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, told the newspaper, "If it is feasible, I would encourage not working outside. . . . If people have to work outdoors, by all means, take the proper precautions to stay safe." The Post adds, "That includes wearing a high-quality, tightfitting mask outdoors, staying hydrated and putting off any jobs that can wait a couple of days. People who drive a lot for work should keep making sure the air conditioner circulates only the inside air, he said."

The intensity of the heat and dangerous air pollutants caught many companies in the Northeast off guard. "Several delivery workers said the turmoil unleashed by the wildfire smoke brought them back to the early, chaotic days of the pandemic when businesses and schools were shuttering, but they were left largely to fend for themselves," the Post reports. "Matt Leichenger, a UPS driver. . . and part-time organizer for the Teamsters union, said his phone was inundated with messages from workers sharing information about the poor air quality. But he said UPS offered little direction to workers on how to protect themselves." Leichenger told the Post, "It felt like the pandemic all over again."

Western states have more wildfire experience; their planning includes wildfire preparation and response protocols. "In recent years, Oregon, California and Washington have adopted rules that require employers to provide protection such as N95 masks to protect workers when wildfire smoke degrades air quality — and, if possible, to move workers indoors in certain cases. But are no such detailed standards at the federal level as yet. Data show that millions of Americans rely on time outside as part of their livelihood," the Post reports. "As climate change fuels more intense wildfires, stronger storms and more crippling heat waves, scientists have warned that outdoor workers around the globe are likely to face more challenging conditions more often. But many governments have resisted taking action, as businesses have fought stricter standards that could make it more expensive to operate."