>> IN ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS HEADLINES DESCRIBE CANADA AS IMAIKDZ AND BURNING THIS SPRING.

CANADIAN WILDFIRES HAVE HAD THEIR EFFECT HERE IN WISCONSIN IN THIS UNUSUALLY HOT, DRY JUNE.

WE'VE HAD SOME RELIEF NOW, BUT WHAT SCIENTISTS CALL FINE PARTICULATE MATTER FROM THE FIRES CAN EASILY GET INTO THE LUNGS AND CAUSE SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS.

WE CHECKED IN WITH CRAIG CZARNECKI FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES FOR MORE.

>> WE, SINCE 2012, HAVE NOT ISSUED AN ADVISORY FOR PM FINE PARTICULATE MATTER.

WE'VE HAD FOUR THIS SPRING.

WE HAVEN'T HAD TO ISSUE ANY IN THE LAST 11 YEARS OR SO AND THIS SPRING, FROM THE WILDFIRES IN WESTERN CANADA, EASTERN CANADA, WE'VE HAD FOUR, SO IT'S DEFINITELY BEEN AN UNPRECEDENTED SPRING AS FAR AS WILDFIRE IMPACTS HERE ARE IN WISCONSIN.

TYPICALLY, WE'VE SEEN WILDFIRES LIKE THIS IMPACT WISCONSIN WITH THE SMOKE USUALLY LATER IN THE SUMMER, TYPICALLY WHEN IT'S HOTTER AND DRIER, BUT THAT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING A LITTLE BIT EARLIER THAN USUAL AND THAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENED THE PAST A COUPLE OF YEARS.

>> AND SO IF THERE IS AN AIR QUALITY ALERT LIKE THAT DESCRIBING IT AS UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS, WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE DO?

>> YEAH.

SO WHEN WE HAVE AN ADVISORY THAT'S CALLED FOR UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS, THAT WOULD INCLUDE PEOPLE WITH HEART AND LUNG AILMENTS OR LUNG DISEASE, HEART DISEASE, ASTHMA, THINGS LIKE THAT, AND THEN OTHER PEOPLE IT WOULD INCLUDE THE ELDERLY AND YOUNG CHILDREN AS WELL SINCE THEIR LUNGS ARE STILL DEVELOPING.

SO WHEN WE HAVE AN ADVISORY FOR UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS, WE JUST ASK PEOPLE IN THOSE GROUPS TO CONSIDER SHORTENING THEIR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, LESS INTENSE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AS WELL AND THEN IF THEY ARE HAVING ANY SYMPTOMS LIKE COUGHING OR SHORTNESS OF BREATH, THAT WOULD BE A SIGN TO MAYBE TAKE A BREAK AND TAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER ON THOSE DAYS.

>> SO YOU ALSO MONITOR FOR OZONE, AND WHAT IS OZONE?

>> SO OZONE IS A COMBINATION OF A FEW DIFFERENT POLLUTANTS, MAINLY VOLATILE ORGANIC OXIDES, TWO DIFFERENT POLLUTANTS.

THE NUMBER ONE SOURCE OF THOSE ARE MOBILITY SOURCES LIKE CARS AND TRUCKS, AND THIS POLLUTANTS REACT IN THE ATMOSPHERE WITH HEAT AND SUNLIGHT TO FORM OZONE.

SO THAT'S THOSE REALLY HOT, SUNNY DAYS, THAT'S WHEN WE'RE TYPICALLY SEEING THOSE ELEVATED LEVELS OF OZONE POLLUTION.

>> AND WHAT IS AN ELEVATED LEVEL OF OZONE?

WHAT DOES THAT DO TO A PERSON'S HEALTH?

>> YEP.

SO, AGAIN, THAT WOULD IMPACT FOLKS WITH BREATHING ISSUES, ASTHMA, THINGS LIKE THAT, YOU'RE GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SENSITIVE.

YOU'LL FEEL THOSE, YOU MIGHT HAVE SHORTNESS OF BREATH, KRAWFG, THINGS LIKE THAT COUGHING, THINGS LIKE THAT.

>> AND DID SOME OF THOSE OZONE PROBLEMS.

>> WE'VE HAD NINE OZONE ADVISORIES SO FAR THIS SPRING, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN NORMAL.

THE LAST FEW YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN SEEING A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF OZONE ADVISORIES WE'VE BEEN ISSUING IN SPRING, BUT WE'VE HAD NINE SO FAR THIS YEAR AND THOSE HAVE RANGING FROM THE UNHEALTHY TO SENSITIVE GROUPS TO A LITTLE BIT OF THAT UNHEALTHY LEVEL AS WELL.

>> AND MEANWHILE, THOSE TWO THINGS KIND OF HAPPENED AT THE SAME TIME, THE WILDFIRES AND THE OZONE LEVELS.

>> YES.

THIS HAS BEEN A VERY INTERESTING SPRING.

OTHER PEOPLE IN THE PROGRAM, ALONG WITH MYSELF, HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN A SPRING LIKE THIS BEFORE.

WE'VE HAD SOME REALLY -- MID-MAY, WE HAD WILDFIRE IMPACTS FROM OUT WEST AND THEN WE HAD REALLY HOT, STAGNANT WEATHER WITH A NUMBER OF OZONE ADVISORIES ISSUED WITH LIKE THIS WEATHER BLOCKING PATTERN, THE AIR GETS STAGNANT.

MOST POLLUTANTS DON'T HAVE ANYWHERE TO GO BECAUSE THE CONDITIONS ARE PRETTY CALM.

SO ONCE THAT FINALLY BLEW OUT, THEN THE WIND SHIFTED AND NOW WE'RE IS GETTING WILDFIRE SMOKE, OR WE WERE, FROM EASTERN CANADA.

SO IT'S JUST BEEN KIND OF A REALLY UNLUCKY RUN OF CIRCUMSTANCES HERE THAT HAVE CAUSED THE AIR QUALITY I-OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS HERE.

>> MEANWHILE, ARE SCIENTISTS AND YOUR AGENCY CONSIDERING THAT THIS COULD BE KIND OF THE NEW NORMAL GOING FORWARD OR THAT IT COULD GET KIND OF WORSE AND WORSE IN THESE WAYS THROUGH THE YEARS?

>> WE ARE SEEING THAT THOSE WILDFIRE IMPACTS ARE HAPPENING A LITTLE BIT EARLIER THAN THEY TYPICALLY HAVE BEEN AND THAT'S BEEN THE LAST FEW YEARS WE'VE BEEN SEEING THAT.

THOSE HOT, DRY CONDITIONS, THOSE ARE JUST LASTING LONGER OUT WEST AND UP IN CANADA AS WELL.

SO WE DON'T LIKE TO THINK IT'S GETTING WORSE, BUT THE CHANCES OF SEEING MORE OF THESE WILDFIRE IMPACTS SEEM TO TO BE SOMETHING THAT THIS WILL BE MORE OF A -- NOT AS UNUSUAL, I SUPPOSE, AS IT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST.

WE'RE SEEING THESE HAPPENING A LITTLE BIT MORE OFTEN WITH THESE HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS HERE.

>> FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN, VISIT