Smoky skies back in Alberta as wildfires spread

Published by: CBC News
Published on: May 12, 2024

Just as the last vestiges of winter gave way to a few days of warm weather, smoke has clouded Alberta’s skies, bringing with it a foreboding memory of summers past, as wildfires continue to burn in the northern parts of the province.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued 321 air quality alerts, spanning the province from High Level to Milk River. Alberta Wildfire is reporting 50 active wildfires as of 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, with two currently classified as out-of-control.

One, near Fort McMurray, tripled in size overnight to extend its reach to about 5,500 hectares. The other, burning in Grande Prairie County in northwestern Alberta, had grown to about 1,400 hectares as of 1 p.m. Sunday.

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climate crisis

Edmonton to see smoky skies, poor air quality into Monday night

Published May 12, 2024

Published by: CTV News
Published on: May 12, 2024
By Brittany Ekelund

Edmontonians saw a slight improvement in the smoky skies Sunday.

The air quality index in the city had dropped from a 10 – very high risk – to a high-risk 9 by Sunday afternoon.

According to Environment Canada, wildfire smoke is harmful even at low concentrations, and residents in affected areas were told to reduce or reschedule strenuous outdoor activities and watch for symptoms such as coughing and throat irritation.

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indoor air quality

Canada needs to improve indoor air quality for kids as an early wildfire season looms, advocates say

Published April 25, 2024

Published by: Toronto Star
Published on: April 25, 2024
By Kevin Jiang

Children are particularly susceptible to harm from air pollutants … They’re much more vulnerable to the health effects of poor indoor air quality because their bodies, brains and respiratory systems are still developing.

— Erica Phipps, Executive Director of Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment (CPCHE)

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N95 respirators

Public Health should offer N95 masks

Published June 28, 2023

Published by: Ottawa Citizen
Published on: June 28, 2023
By Mike Buckthought

Re: Heavy smoke, smog wallop Ottawa, cancelling Dragon Boat, Indigenous festivals, June 25.

Thanks to climate change, we’re experiencing unprecedented hazardous air quality. Concentrations of pollutants have been an order of magnitude greater than the levels in major cities. And more smoke is on the way.

Ottawa Public Health should follow the example of public health organizations in other cities: it should distribute N95 respirators to Ottawa residents. Huron Perth Public Health is now offering respirators to residents who are at high risk for respiratory issues.

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Wildfire smoke may have contributed to thousands of extra COVID-19 cases and deaths in western U.S. in 2020

The Apple Fire burns north of Beaumont, California, on July 31, 2020. Photo: Brody Hessin. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en

climate crisis

Wildfire smoke may have contributed to thousands of extra COVID-19 cases and deaths in western U.S. in 2020

Published August 13, 2021

Published by: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Published on: August 13, 2021

Thousands of COVID-19 cases and deaths in California, Oregon, and Washington between March and December 2020 may be attributable to increases in fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke, according to a new study co-authored by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

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Tag: wildfire smoke