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This wildfire season, changes are coming to better inform people about smoke

A new kind of advisory will now be issued if air quality worsens beyind the 10-point scale available
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Thick smoke from the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire fills the air and a Canadian flag flies in the wind as RCMP officers on a boat patrol Shuswap Lake, in Scotch Creek, B.C., on Sunday, August 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Last yearB次元官网网址檚 record-breaking wildfire season forced Canadians to become familiar with the scale of air pollution as hazardous smoke drifted across the country.

Environment CanadaB次元官网网址檚 colour-coded Air Quality Health Index, designed to help people understand health risks associated with contaminated air, was closely watched under hazy, orange skies that stretched beyond the Canada-U.S. border.

But the AQHI, measured on a scale from one to 10+, was not calculated the same way in all provinces and some people were unsure how index values applied to their daily activities.

Environment Canada hopes several changes being made this year will improve how air quality-related health risks are communicated and understood by the public.

One of those changes is to the departmentB次元官网网址檚 go-to website for weather conditions and warnings across the country: weather.gc.ca. Users can now toggle between different layers of active alerts and display only those related to air quality if thatB次元官网网址檚 their main concern. Detailed air quality warnings are also listed under a separate tab.

When the AQHI exceeds 10 due to wildfire smoke B次元官网网址 indicating a B次元官网网址渧ery highB次元官网网址 health risk B次元官网网址 affected areas appear red on the map.

A new type of air quality advisory will also be issued to warn of potentially worsening health effects and urge people to seriously consider cancelling outdoor events, said Celine Audette, manager of health and air quality forecast services at Environment and Climate Change Canada.

This change was prompted by a B次元官网网址渞ecord numberB次元官网网址 of AQHI 10+ scores during last yearB次元官网网址檚 wildfire season, she said in a phone interview.

That level B次元官网网址渆xceeds any kind of air quality objective across the world,B次元官网网址 Audette said. B次元官网网址淚t was the worst air quality in Canada, worse than India.B次元官网网址

She said the aim of the stronger advisory language on especially smoky days is to better inform people and help prevent health issues.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 also the goal of another, more complex, change that occurred last week.

Audette said Ontario and Alberta have now joined most other provinces in using the federal governmentB次元官网网址檚 enhanced version of the AQHI, which measures the levels of fine particulate matter known as PM 2.5 in the air on an hourly basis.

PM 2.5 comes from a wide range of sources, including power plants and vehicles, and itB次元官网网址檚 a particularly harmful component of wildfire smoke that can travel deep into a personB次元官网网址檚 lungs and cause or exacerbate health complications.

For years, the B次元官网网址渃lassicB次元官网网址 version of the AQHI measured a three-hour rolling average of common air pollutants: ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide and PM 2.5.

But British Columbia changed this after realizing the index did not reflect PM 2.5 spikes caused by wildfires and would display low scores even as plumes of smoked rolled in.

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Environment Canada has adopted the B.C. model and now runs two parallel calculations: the rolling average of the three air pollutants and the hourly PM 2.5 levels. The AQHI score the public sees is based onwhichever measure is higher.

B次元官网网址淚 think people will see a big difference,B次元官网网址 Audette said of the switch.

B次元官网网址淚n the period of wildfire smoke, if the plume is increasing in your area, youB次元官网网址檒l see a difference (in AQHI levels) every hour.B次元官网网址

She said that means a summer program or daycare provider, for example, can quickly adjust kidsB次元官网网址 outdoor schedules, and people with asthma can more accurately assess their risks throughout the day if they plan to be outside.

People who want to closely monitor the AQHI in their area can also download the WeatherCAN app and set up custom notifications, she added.

Quebec will continue to rely on its own Info-Smog air quality forecast and warning program, which works well for the province, Audette said.

She said the general health advice during wildfire season remains the same. Everyone should pay attention to air quality advisories in their region and take precautions when AQHI values start to climb.

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.

But at-risk groups B次元官网网址 including people with respiratory or heart conditions, those who are pregnant, children and the elderly B次元官网网址 may feel the effects of smoke and air pollution at moderate levels. When that happens, they should stay indoors as much as possible until the smoke dissipates and wear a well-fitted N95 face mask if they must venture outside, Audette said.

B次元官网网址淎bout 60 per cent of the population is considered at-risk,B次元官网网址 she said but noted that air quality advisories are meant to inform, not B次元官网网址渟care people.B次元官网网址

B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 want people to be stressed. They need to also take care of their mental health.B次元官网网址

One expert at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control said itB次元官网网址檚 important to put CanadaB次元官网网址檚 air pollution spikes into perspective because the stress and anxiety induced by smoky skies can be more harmful to human health than the smoke itself.

B次元官网网址淔or the most part, we have excellent air quality in Canada,B次元官网网址 Sarah Henderson, the scientific director of environmental health services, said in a phone interview.

B次元官网网址淭here are folks in the world who live in conditions like we experienced last year, day in and day out throughout their lives because they live in highly polluted cities. And, you know, they still can live long, happy, healthy lives.B次元官网网址

Henderson said air pollution is one of B次元官网网址渕any, many risk factorsB次元官网网址 that affect our health and while itB次元官网网址檚 important to reduce our exposure to wildfire smoke, we shouldnB次元官网网址檛 panic and eliminate B次元官网网址渁ll of the other good things in our lives because itB次元官网网址檚 smoky outside.B次元官网网址

B次元官网网址淚 never want anyone to panic about wildfire smoke. I want them to take it seriously,B次元官网网址 she said. B次元官网网址淚 want them to look at ways that they can reduce exposure in their lives.B次元官网网址

Henderson said staying inside all summer is not the answer for most people. Healthy adults can take simple measures such as masking up on smoky days, she said. If air quality is not ideal, children can still participate in non-strenuous outdoor activities as long as theyB次元官网网址檙e being monitored, she added.

Since wildfire smoke can easily penetrate indoor spaces, people who have chronic respiratory conditions or are pregnant should have a plan that keeps the air in their homes clean, Henderson said. Portable air cleaners and high-efficiency filters can help.

B次元官网网址淚 want to get to the point where smoke doesnB次元官网网址檛 cause people such distress as it does now,B次元官网网址 she said.

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Sonja Puzic, The Canadian Press

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