Spain's national soccer team held an outdoor practice session in northern New Jersey on Thursday as smoke from Canadian wildfires created hazardous air quality conditions. The team is preparing for the World Cup final, scheduled for Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Media members were permitted to observe the first 15 minutes of the team's hour-long practice, which began at 11 a.m. EDT in East Hanover. Meanwhile, Argentina's team remained in the Atlanta area, which is south of the affected smoke plumes, to train.
Health officials had urged residents to stay indoors or wear masks due to the unhealthy to hazardous air quality levels, which pose risks to everyone, regardless of existing health conditions. Experts expressed concern about the decision to hold an outdoor practice.
"These are high-level athletes who are moving a lot of air through their lungs during every practice in every game, and really they shouldn’t be practicing outside if the air quality levels are at hazardous sort of ranges for wildfire-related air pollution," said Dr. Courtney Howard, an emergency room physician and Global Climate and Health Alliance official. She recommended an indoor, air-conditioned facility as a cleaner alternative.
Messages to FIFA and the Spanish Football Association regarding whether indoor facilities were considered were not immediately returned. The smoke is anticipated to clear the New Jersey area before Sunday's match.
Air quality in East Hanover on Thursday morning was classified as "unhealthy," improving by mid-afternoon to "unhealthy for sensitive groups," according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Now monitoring system. At one point, particle pollution in New Jersey was more than seven times the World Health Organization standard. Forecasts predict moderate air quality for Sunday's game.
Medical studies indicate that wildfire smoke can negatively affect multiple bodily systems, contributing to tens of thousands of deaths annually. It can exacerbate conditions like asthma, trigger inflammation, and impact the immune system. "It’s not healthy for anyone to be in the smoke, especially if you’re exercising," stated Mary Johnson, an environmental health research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health. "You're exchanging more air, so you’re being exposed to even more pollutants, and even healthy individuals at some point will have some type of health effect from the exposure to the smoke."
Environmental toxicologist Luke Montrose of Colorado State University noted that wildfire smoke contains at least 1,000 identified toxins, including compounds like formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds, which are also associated with burning diesel fuel or cigarette smoke.