ST. LOUIS — The thick haze of Canadian wildfire smoke was still visible over Busch Stadium and City Park Wednesday night.
Thousands of fans packed both open-air stadiums -- exposing themselves to the poor air quality. Experts warn that the air quality can affect anyone.
If you were out and about Wednesday, then chances are you noticed the smoky haze.
"Clouds were really smoky,” Angie Short said.
It didn't come as a surprise to those who saw it formulating hours earlier.
"When I was watching the game yesterday, I could see the smoke over the stadium when I was watching it on TV,” Chris Haase added.
"I noticed it. I heard it came from Canada,” Nick Short said.
He's right. Smoke from the Canadian wildfire reached the Bi-state, prompting medical experts to tell those with respiratory problems to limit any strenuous activity while outside.
"I have asthma definitely. I keep a spare inhaler in my car always,” Haase said.
Doctors say in times like these, it's a good idea to keep that inhaler on you.
"This can trigger asthma attacks or folks with COPD or even allergies, they can just all of a sudden have new triggers,” Chris Martinez, with the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, said. "Our job is to help people breathe and you realize that today our job just got a little bit harder."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, affects the human lungs by possibly causing airflow blockages and breathing problems.
Not only can breathing in smoke trigger asthma, it can lead to a fast heartbeat, chest pain, and make you short of breath and tired.
"If you're at home, its time to make sure the windows and doors are closed, use the air conditioning. If you're in the car, again windows up, use the air conditioning if you can,” Martinez said.
Sports fans braved the conditions anyway.
"It makes me worried 100% … All the smokiness it could affect us,” Haase said.
"We'll be able to see how we feel tomorrow,” Erick Deleon said.
Martinez says wearing KN95 masks can be helpful to an extent. With bad air quality, there's a mixture of gas and particles in the air. He says masks help with the particles but not with the gas. He also recommended ensuring your air filters at home and in your car are up to date.