Overview
- Environment Canada issued orange air-quality alerts on Friday for a broad swath of western and central Alberta and put Calgary’s Air Quality Health Index at 10+, the highest “very high risk” level.
- Real-time monitors and IQAir measurements briefly ranked Calgary among the cities with the worst air quality on earth as dense smoke from B.C. fires and some U.S. fires reduced visibility and raised fine-particle levels.
- Officials said everyone is at risk and advised limiting outdoor time, keeping windows and doors closed, using well-fitting N95/KN95 respirators if outside is unavoidable, and running certified portable or HVAC air filtration units.
- Forecasts issued Friday project some improvement to 'high risk' on Saturday and 'moderate risk' on Sunday, but Environment Canada cautioned that incoming smoke could keep conditions poor or make them worse.
- Small particles in wildfire smoke called PM2.5 can reach the lungs and bloodstream and raise hospital visits for breathing and heart problems, and hotter, longer fire seasons have made cross-border smoke episodes more frequent.