Poor air quality warnings were in effect in the first part of the day today for the Yellowknife area, Ndilo, Dettah, Behchokǫ̀, Whati and Prelude Lake due to smoke from wildfires. The air quality levels saw improvements into the afternoon.
Smoke from wildfires continues to impact air quality at sites across the territories and across the country as smoke drifts to communities of the North. Online maps (https://firesmoke.ca/) show real-time smoke conditions in North Slave region are impacted by smoke from wildfires.
Air Quality Sensors – Community Based Air Monitoring webpages on the GNWT website indicate poor air quality in communities today in the North Slave region, in areas where air quality measurement instruments are set up.
Indicator readings in the Yellowknife area, Ndilo, Dettah Behchokǫ̀, Whati and Prelude Lake showed air quality of Levels 5 to 8 this morning. Under these level conditions, the recommendation is to avoid outdoor activities.
“Consider reducing or rescheduling strenuous activities outdoors if you experience symptoms such as coughing and throat irritation. Reduce or reschedule strenuous activities outdoors. Children and the elderly should also take it easy,” advises the recommendation on the air quality map and health index.
The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is a scale from 1 to 10+ which is meant to reflect air quality and its implications to health. The higher the number, the greater the health risk associated with the air quality.
Information about the risks of air pollution is available on Canada’s climate and environment webpages.
Health Canada cautions that certain people are at greater risk of experiencing health impacts due to poor air quality including seniors, pregnant people, infants and young children, people who work outdoors, people involved in strenuous outdoor exercise and people with an existing illness or chronic health conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, mental illness and lung or heart conditions.
Data on air quality is also available on Canada’s Purple Air webpages. GNWT’s community based air monitoring project uses Purple Air monitors and continues to post data on the territorial sites, which are accessible on cell phones as well as other devices.
GNWT has air quality sensors located across the territories as part of the Small Air Quality Sensors – Community Based Air Monitoring Project.
“These sensors monitor fine particulate matter in the air from things like wildfire smoke, vehicle emissions and industrial activities throughout the year. These sensors will fill a gap in data in communities that don’t have community air quality monitoring stations. They also increase air quality data in communities where air quality is already monitored. This will provide a baseline of data to compare against the future: especially important as climate change increases the intensity of events like wildfires that can affect the air quality,” said reps from the program on the project website.
The sensors project the air quality date onto to an online real time map. Project organizers say the data is meant to help communities make decisions about staying indoors or reducing activities when the air quality is deteriorating.
