Wildfire smoke gives Detroit most polluted air in world, company says

[demmiblue]

Smoke from Canadian wildfires has given Detroit the most polluted air in the world on Thursday, according to a Swiss air quality technology company.

Detroit had an air quality index, or AQI, of 602, earning it the number one spot on IQAir's ranking of the most polluted global major cities on Thursday. IQAir makes air quality monitoring and air cleaning products.

The U.S. Air Quality Index is a federal government tool for communicating about outdoor air quality and its impact on health. The higher the number, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern.

Minneapolis is in second place with an AQI of 549 followed by Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at 274, IQAir reported.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/07/16/detroit-has-most-polluted-air-in-world-due-to-wildfire-smoke-today/90939851007/

Well this fucking sucks.

— Shiawassee (@shiawassee.bsky.social) 2026-07-16T10:58:42.784Z

[Johnny2X2X]

1. Crazy in Grand Rapids

Everything is yellow looking and there's visible smoke.

[mopinko]

2. bad and getting worse in chgo.

almost 200 this am, supposed to get worse early next wk.

[bif]

3. It's terrible here in Detroit this morning

Hope it gets better soon. Tired of having all our windows closed. We don't have AC and it got pretty hot last night.