Air quality advisory issued for Calgary amid smoke

An air quality advisory has been issued for Calgary due to wildfire smoke.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued the advisory just after 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

As of 12 p.m., Calgary's Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) was sitting at 10+ (high risk), the highest rating possible.

Calgary's air quality is forecast to improve by Thursday, lowering to 6 on the AQHI (moderate risk) and dipping to 4 by Thursday night (moderate risk).

“Currently, if we're looking at the Calgary region, we're seeing that particles are in the order of like 75 to 100 micrograms per cubic meter," said Health Canada epidemiologist Eric Lavigne.

"So that is roughly seven to 10 times higher than what is usually the case in the city."

Lavigne — and just about every health official across the country — have been warning Canadians about the adverse effects of smoke. 

"Some studies are comparing smoke from wildfires to cigarette smoking, where if you are exposed repeatedly over different seasons, you could have an increased risk of having some diseases in the long term," Lavigne said.

"It's really about people making sure that they protect themselves and limit their exposure as much as possible."

In its air quality advisory, Environment Canada warned that heavy smoke conditions put everyone at risk, regardless of their age or health.

"The fine particles in wildfire smoke pose the main health risk," states the advisory.

People more likely to be impacted by wildfire smoke are seniors, people who are pregnant. people who smoke, infants and young children, people who work outdoors, people involved in strenuous outdoor exercise and people with an existing illness or chronic health condition, Environment Canada warned.

Calgary is also under a heat warning, with no reprieve expected until Thursday.

"The combination of heat and very poor air quality in smoke will increase the risk to your health," warned Environment Canada.

Stuart Brideaux with Calgary EMS stressed the importance of spending time indoors Wednesday. 

He says anyone who needs to go out for prolonged periods should wear a tight-fitting mask. 

"If you’re beginning to feel that shortness of breath or irritation in your throat, that’s your opportunity or your cue to take a break out of this environment," he told CTV News.

"People just have to be aware of the air quality, perhaps checking it like they would the temperature throughout the day."