Smoky days from wildfires in the spring and summer are sadly becoming the norm in Western Canada, and the hidden impact it can have on your health is something that shouldn’t be ignored, health officials say.
Bad air quality is linked to poor health outcomes and the development or worsening of some chronic diseases.
“Things like asthma, cough, headaches — we know that over time (smoke exposure) can increase your risk of things like respiratory infections. It can also increase your risk for long-term disease like lung cancer if you have high exposure,” said Jamie Happy, the health promotion coordinator with Alberta Lung.
June 4 is Clean Air Day in Canada and Happy said right now, the awareness they are trying to raise is especially important as fires blaze across the west.
“Air quality is important because we all breathe every day, every minute of every day,” said Salina Fairbank, the engagement coordinator with Alberta Capital Airshed.
“You take more breaths in a day than anything else you do. It’s important for everyone.”
The not-for-profit organization monitors air quality in the Edmonton region and the data collected at the Alberta Capital Airshed’s continuous monitoring stations is used to help calculate the Air Quality Health Index, or AQHI.
The AQHI indicates the level of pollution in a community. A rating of 1-3 is low risk, 4-6 is moderate risk, 7-10 is high risk and over 10 is very high risk.
“Clean air quality is definitely becoming more of an awareness concern because we are experiencing more wildfire seasons that are increasing,” Happy said. “They’re longer, they start earlier, they get worse. We’re noticing a lot more air quality alerts.
“This is here to stay and it’s going to be on people’s minds, especially when they can smell it and see it.”
But one doesn’t need to wait until the sky is dark Apocalypse orange and the air is thick with burning campfire smells to take action to protect their health — the damage can begin well before that.
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“Check the air quality and if it’s over five, six, seven, that’s when you need to pay attention. That means air quality could be bad, even if the sky looks clear,” Happy said.
Some particles from fires, chemicals and pollution are so small they can’t be seen, but Happy said they can still cause damage and inflammation when they’re inhaled deep into lung tissue.
“They can cause damage by making micro-tears and causing irritation.”
Health experts have said the very fine particulate matter can be absorbed into the bloodstream and have impacts on a person’s brain as well.
Happy said as soon as the AQHI hits five or higher, people should consider limiting their time outdoors or wearing a N95 mask, and once inside, take steps to rid themselves of contaminants like changing clothes, washing their face, and running air filters via HEPA or HVAC systems.
Many people with asthma or other chronic conditions — as well as infants, young children, pregnant people and seniors — feel the effects of smoke and other air pollution at lower levels than people who are very healthy.
Kids are especially susceptible due to their biology, Happy explained — both now and over the long term.
“They have a smaller respiratory system. They breathe faster than we do. So their concentration of pollution is actually higher than an adult’s and over time, this can affect their development,” Happy explained.
“Their lung structure could develop more slowly. They could be hit with more asthma attacks, respiratory infections, which affects their overall development.”
In addition to asthma, research has shown that wildfire smoke is associated with more hospital visits for both children and adults with other lung conditions, such as viral infections, pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as heart attacks and strokes.
“This affects the youth, seniors, as well as people with lung disease, heart disease. Anyone with a lowered immune system tends to be considered higher risk. They would be the ones we’d want them to watch the alert a little bit earlier,” Happy said.
Some of the first signs someone may be reacting to smoke particles include:
- Itchy eyes
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Nasal congestion
- Stuffy nose
- Headache
While wildfires are a natural part of the boreal forest ecosystem, a growing number of studies have documented how climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, is making them larger and more intense — and contributing more to air pollution.
The fires churn out more fine particle pollution, known as PM2.5, and it’s a particularly harmful component of wildfire smoke. It’s tiny enough to get deep into the lungs and in the long run, can have serious health effects. PM 2.5 comes from a wide range of sources, including power plants and vehicles.
Canadians can track concentration of wildfire smoke by particulate size using Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Fire Works map.
A 2024 study estimated the number of smoke-related deaths from wildfires linked to climate change has soared since the 1960s.
The study estimates, using mathematical modeling, that about 12,566 annual wildfire smoke-related deaths in the 2010s were linked to climate change, up from about 669 in the 1960s, when far less carbon dioxide was concentrated in the atmosphere.
Translated to a proportion of wildfire smoke mortality overall, the study estimates about 13 per cent of estimated excess deaths in the 2010s were linked to climate change, compared to about 1.2 per cent in the 1960s.
Last year, Environment Canada changed up its colour-coded Air Quality Health Index to improve how air quality-related health risks are communicated and understood by the public. The change was prompted by a “record number” of AQHI 10+ scores during the 2023 wildfire season.
The wildfires torching buildings and forcing thousands of people from their homes in Western Canada are also creating smoke hazards stretching into the United States.
Natalie Hasell of Environment Canada said on Wednesday that wildfire smoke from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba has travelled as far as Texas in the United States.
Hassell said smoke from wildfires in Ontario and Quebec may have also drifted south to Michigan and the eastern seaboard.
Environment Canada has issued bulletins warning of poor air quality in parts of Alberta, northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where wildfires have forced more than 30,000 people from their homes.
— with files from The Canadian Press and Emily Mertz
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