Air quality alters some outdoor plans while others monitor Calgary conditions

The hazy sky was a clear sign of the conditions on Wednesday. Calgary remains under an air quality warning.

The hazy sky is a clear sign of the conditions as Calgary continues on under an air quality warning from Environment Canada.

Wildfire smoke from Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories cast a gloom over the city Wednesday, continuing the warning in Calgary, with experts recommending people avoid strenuous activity outside and stay inside as much as possible.

“Particles that are in wildfire smoke are small enough that they can go from the lungs into the bloodstream and be throughout your body, so it’s not a stretch to assume that the health impacts, even in healthy young people, are potentially pretty substantial over time,” said Dr. Brandie Walker, respirologist and Cumming School of Medicine clinician-researcher.

Walker works at a Calgary asthma and COPD clinic and says patients have more flare-ups during smoky conditions.

She said studies show how serious the smoke can be for everyone.

“We have higher levels of hospital admissions, particularly in people who have those pre-existing conditions like heart disease or lung disease, and actually from large studies we know that we have more deaths when there’s longer periods of high amounts of wildfire smoke in the air,” she said.

Calgarian Kaitlyn Smith and her golden field Labrador, Walter, skipped their usual hour-long run outside.

“When it’s this smoky, yes. I always just check the air quality index on my phone, and if it’s over like 3-ish, I definitely change plans. I went to a treadmill at the gym, but I’ll still get him exercised,” she said.

The increasingly common smoky conditions are especially challenging for people with health issues, including the roughly 4.7 million Canadians diagnosed with asthma.

Experts say people with asthma should always continue their prescribed medication because the condition can disappear for a while and then flare up dangerously.

“It can be lying in wait, and when you’re exposed to something like wildfire smoke and the pollutants that are involved with it, it can bring on a very sudden attack or exacerbation, and unfortunately, there are several hundred people every year that lose their lives to asthma directly,” said Jeff Beach, Asthma Canada president and CEO.

Asthma Canada’s latest information from the Public Health Agency of Canada puts the total asthma count at 547,990 patients in Alberta as of 2023.

Beach said this is about 10.8 per cent of the population of the province, which is “pretty much on track” with the national data.

While the air quality index gives an idea of the risk in the general area, the team behind the Spruce Meadows Masters takes its own readings with handheld devices every half-hour to determine the amount of particulate in the air on site.

“The threshold, whether or not we deem it would be safe, is around 200, and right now as I look at this, we are just shy of 81, so right now the air quality here at Spruce Meadows is certainly safe to compete,” said Ian Allison, Spruce Meadows senior vice-president.

Allison said they take constant readings to ensure the event is safe for the horses, athletes, officials and spectators.

Allison is also the president of the soccer team Cavalry FC and said the team practiced outside on Wednesday too.

As for school activities, the Calgary Board of Education says if the air quality index remains at 7 or above, its schools are asked to consider postponing or cancelling outside activities.