BC's air quality nearly four times worse than world's most-polluted city
Air quality is hazardous in many BC communities as wildfires rage in the province’s Interior.
The Eastern Fraser Valley, Central Okanagan, North Okanagan, Kamloops and Sparwood are all rated as 10+ on BC’s 10-point scale for measuring air quality risk.
IQ Air, a world air quality monitoring site, gives readings of more than 600 micrograms per cubic meter. It classifies any reading over 300 as “hazardous” to health.
IQ Air
For reference, the readings from the central Okanagan are nearly four times higher than pollution readings in Kuwait, IQ Air’s most polluted major city, on Monday. The service named Vancouver the ninth-most dangerous in the world for a major city.
According to IQ Air, no other area in the world had worse air quality than BC’s Interior and the US Pacific Northwest Monday.
The BC government predicts much of the province will continue to be impacted by wildfire smoke for the next 24 to 48 hours.
“During a wildfire, smoke conditions can change quickly over short distances and can vary considerably hour-by-hour,” the government said in a smoky skies bulletin.
It advised residents to stop or reduce activity if breathing becomes uncomfortable, stay cool and hydrated, and keep any asthma or other medications accessible at all times.
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