Americans Told to Stay Indoors in Three States

Air quality alerts were in effect for three U.S. states on Monday morning, with officials cautioning that heightened levels of air pollution could present a health risk to certain members of the population.

Sensitive groups, such as older adults, children, and those with respiratory conditions are at particular risk during periods of poor air quality, experts say.

The National Weather Service (NWS) published alerts for Maine, Ohio, and New Hampshire.

An alert for Maine warned that smoke from Canadian wildfires would linger in the state's Northern region through Sunday evening.

"The Maine Department of Environmental Protection recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects," it advised.

"People who may be e