Global Courant
Chris Tanych awoke early Wednesday morning with a coughing fit as a smoky haze from wildfires in Quebec and northeastern Ontario blanketed Ottawa for the third straight day.
Tanych, who has asthma, said things only got worse for his health by midday, when air quality in the capital remained at high risk according to Environment Canada’s Air Quality Health Index (AQHI). Toronto’s air quality was also deemed high risk on Wednesday, ranking among the top five cities with worst air quality and pollution.
“It’s like I’m a 50-year-old smoker, like I’m constantly clearing my throat. I feel like I have a frog in my throat, I’m coughing up phlegm,” the 28-year-old told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview.
“It is very, very difficult to breathe outside. I go outside and after 10, 20 seconds I literally feel like I’m about to cough my head out and have a bad cough.”
Tanych works as a landscape consultant, personal training specialist and golf coach and said he has to take time off from work because he cannot physically perform with the smoke that lingers in his town, which he likened to campfire smoke. His mental health has also taken a hit.
“I’m anxious, depressed, gloomy,” Tanych said.
“I’m actually planning to go to my mom’s in Gananoque for a few days until the smoke clears — pun unintentional.”
As wildfires rage across the country, experts are sounding the alarm about the physical and psychological impacts of the wildfires, saying they represent a serious public health problem that individuals and governments must recognize and act on.
“It’s definitely a major public health problem,” said Matthew Adams, an assistant professor in the department of geography, geomatics and the environment at the University of Toronto, Mississauga.
Raluca Radu, a registered nurse who teaches a course on the health effects of climate change at the University of British Columbia, echoes that comment.
“Given that the climate crisis is only getting worse, we should consider the smoke from wildfires as a public health concern that we need to be prepared for from year to year,” Radu told CTVNews.ca in a phone call. interview.
HEALTH EFFECTS OF WILD FIRE
The physical health effects of wildfires vary in different regions, Adams said.
In areas such as Toronto and Ottawa experiencing smoke from fires burning elsewhere, he said people may experience short-term symptoms such as coughing, congestion, dry eyes, watery eyes and rapid heart rate increases, which usually occur the day of exposure. to the next three days.
People with asthma or other respiratory and heart conditions may feel those conditions flare up. In severe cases, they can also end up in the hospital.
In areas such as western Canada and parts of Quebec, where wildfires are ongoing, residents are likely to experience those short-term symptoms, in addition to possible heart and respiratory disease due to long-term exposure to smoke, according to Adams.
Wildfires in air quality Wildfires can also affect people’s mental health, Radu said, noting that environmental anxiety tends to frighten people as they look to the future threat of climate change.
Anxiety, depression, panic attacks, lack of sleep and not wanting to participate in activities are some of the things to watch out for, she said.
Post-traumatic stress disorder can also occur in people who have previously been around wildfires or had to leave their homes because of a fire.
WHO IS THE MOST VULNERABLE?
The elderly, young children, pregnant women, those who are homeless, those with pre-existing health conditions, and those who work outside the home are among the most vulnerable to the health impacts of wildfires.
“We know that the climate crisis is also an equity crisis, so for individuals in these categories who don’t really have a choice in terms of how they expose themselves (and) their jobs to these unfortunate circumstances, we see those risks being compounded in these populations, Radu explained.
Indigenous communities are also vulnerable in the face of wildfires, Radu said, because they tend to live near forested areas or wilderness and rely heavily on the environment.
“They are so closely tied to the land and if you disrupt them from activities on the land, which is such a critical part of their livelihood, it will have a significant impact on the mental health of those populations,” she added.
REDUCE THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF WILD FIRES
To reduce the health impacts of wildfires, experts say action is needed at both the community and individual levels.
At the community level, Radu said governments should ensure that emergency plans and public health warnings are in place and widely accessible so people know how to protect themselves if there is a wildfire and/or poor air quality where they live.
“There needs to be a greater effort from these sources to ensure that every group of people is reached,” Radu said.
As part of those emergency plans, she said opening recreation centers and facilities to the public during such extreme weather events could help people find relief while still taking care of their physical and mental health by exercising indoors and interacting with others.
Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Center on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, said the federal government should launch a national campaign on wildfire protection education.
“That would actually be at the very top of the list because we know people will act if they get that guidance,” he said in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca.
In a statement Wednesday, which also marked Clean Air Day, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said he is committed to working with partners to combat climate change and ensure Canada has the policies, programs and resources to “promote clean air and reduce air”. pollution across Canada.”
“The government has taken action to protect Canadians from the adverse effects of air pollution through regulations on emissions, setting national air quality standards and providing the Air Quality Health Index forecasts for communities across Canada,” Duclos said.
“I believe that by working together we can make a real difference and ensure that future generations can breathe clean, healthy air.”
In an emailed statement to CTVNews.ca, Health Canada said the Public Health Agency of Canada said it “regularly undertakes a range of activities to continuously support Canada’s preparedness and response capacity,” including stockpiling medical supplies, equipment and pharmaceutical products. for the National Strategic Emergency Stock.
Among other things, the federal department said it has also coordinated the delivery of supplies such as cots, blankets, sick boxes and disposable sheets to Alberta to support the response to wildfires in the province, and has deployed air quality monitors in Nova Scotia, British Columbia and the Yukon to monitor indoor and outdoor quality impacted by wildfire smoke.
On an individual level, Radu recommended that people familiarize themselves with the AQHI so they know when it’s safe to go outside and create a support network with their loved ones — especially people who are vulnerable — to know when to go out on their own. pay attention in the face of a wildfire or poor air quality.
Wearing masks outside where air quality is poor is another protective measure people can take, she noted.
Adams, meanwhile, said people exposed to the short-term effects of wildfires should stay indoors while air quality advisories are in effect. As for people living in wildfire-prone areas, he recommended getting an air purifier and making sure their furnace and air conditioning filters are cleaned regularly to reduce the amount of contaminants in their home.
To mitigate the psychological effects of wildfires, Radu encouraged getting at least seven to eight hours of sleep a night, eating a healthy diet, exercising indoors as much as possible, and staying connected with friends and family.
Feltmate said it is crucial for Canada to adapt to the extreme weather threats being felt across the country – from extreme heat to flooding and wildfires.
“As bad as things are now, they will certainly get worse in the future. Climate change is irreversible – full stop. It’s here to stay. We’re not going backwards. And we better learn to adapt and we know we have to adapt quickly,” he said.
