Smoke blankets Calgary area as air quality warning urges caution
Weather expert says we are experiencing an accumulation of smoke
The wildfire-induced smoke currently blanketing the Calgary area, is so bad Environment Canada is telling people to go back inside, in an air quality warning issued early Wednesday.
"During heavy smoke conditions, everyone's health is at risk regardless of their age or health status," the agency said.
"Limit time outdoors. Reschedule or cancel outdoor sports, activities and events."
Weather expert Kyle Brittain said we are experiencing an accumulation.
"This smoke has been generated over several days," Brittain told the Calgary Eyeopener Wednesday morning.
The Calgary Eyeopener's original plans for a walking show through Bowness had to be cancelled at the last minute because of the air quality.
"We've got a number of massive wildfires burning across the landscape from northeastern British Columbia to northwestern Ontario. The fires in northeastern BC and northern Alberta have been smoking the last few days and they have generated this massive reservoir of smoke that is sitting over a lot of the continent. A lot of this smoke has hitched a ride in the jet stream over to Europe causing the sun to look red over there, so it is everywhere," Brittain said.
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Environment Canada is recommending masks.
"If you must spend time outdoors, limit the time as much as possible," EC said.
"A well-constructed, well-fitting and properly worn respirator type mask (such as a NIOSH-certified N95 or equivalent respirator) can reduce your exposure to the fine particles in the smoke. Even though exposure may be reduced, there can still be risks to health."
The Calgary Region Airshed Zone (CRAZ), a non-profit organization that monitors air quality, emphasized the danger posed by air contaminants such as nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone, and fine particulate matter, or PM2.5.
Mandeep Dhaliwal, the air quality program manager with CRAZ, told CBC News that PM2.5 exposure is a particular concern.
"It's 2.5 microns [equivalent to one millionth of a meter] in diameter, which is almost 30 times smaller than a human hair," he said. "And it does have the tendency to get into our lungs, and then from there it goes into our bloodstream."
He urged people to stay indoors if possible, and if going outside can't be avoided, to wear a mask, preferably an N95, to block out pollutants like PM2.5.
With wildfires raging throughout Western Canada, Dhaliwal said Calgary's geographical location makes smoke inevitable.
"Everything is coming our way, so one way or another we're going to get affected," he said.
A popular Beltline pub responded to the air quality by pulling service staff from the outdoor patio.
"When the AHQI reaches 10 and over our patio is self-serve only," the Ship and Anchor Pub posted to its Facebook page before noon.
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With files from the Calgary Eyeopener and Colleen Underwood