Wildfire smoke continues to trigger poor air quality alerts across Alberta
Global News
Many communities in the province remained under an air quality warning on Tuesday while special air quality statements were issued for others.
As wildfires continue to burn across the Prairies, air quality continues to be an issue for many parts of Alberta.
Some communities in the province remained under an air quality warning on Tuesday while special air quality statements were issued for others.
Air quality health index values posted on the Environment and Climate Change Canada website Tuesday morning showed Edmonton, Strathcona County, Lamont County, Sturgeon County, Fort Saskatchewan, Fort McMurray, Wood Buffalo-South, Grande Prairie and Cold Lake all had been given an AQHI rating of 10+, considered by the weather agency to be “high risk.” Calgary had a rating of 8.
The AQHI, or Air Quality Health Index, 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.
“Smoke is causing or expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility,” ECCC said in a statement. “Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour.
“As smoke levels increase, health risks increase. Limit time outdoors. Consider reducing or rescheduling outdoor sports, activities and events.”
Richard Leigh, a professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Calgary, said what Alberta has seen in terms of wildfire smoke drifting through the air this spring seems to be “a repetition of previous summers going back over the last decade.”
“It seems with each summer, the wildfire (season) … starts a little earlier and perhaps it ends up being a little more intense summer over summer,” he said.
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