‘Just gross’: Parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba dealing with ‘very high risk’ air quality ratings

Much of Saskatchewan is under an air quality warning due to smoke from burning wildfires. Allison Bamford reports.

Air quality warnings blanketed much of central and southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba as smoke from northern wildfires blew in.

In Saskatoon, the air quality health index hovered around the 10-plus mark for most of Tuesday, the highest rating on the scale.

“When you’re in that 10+ range (on the air quality health index), anybody is at risk for symptoms,” said Christopher Pascoe, an associate professor of physiology at the University of Manitoba. “For some health consequences if you’re outside for too long.”

Common short-term exposure effects can feel like seasonal allergies and include burning eyes, runny nose, throat irritation and headache. Pascoe says shortness of breath, wheezing and difficulty breathing are not uncommon. The symptoms can appear worse in those with chronic diseases.

Sarah Davidson lives in Saskatoon and suffers from asthma. She says her condition makes the wildfire smoke “extra yucky,” and is avoiding outdoor activities while using her puffer more frequently to make up for the lack of fresh air.

“Even waking up, my windows weren’t even open, but you could smell it (smoke) in the house,” she said. “It’s just gross.”

Davidson says she can feel it every time she breathes in that gross smell. Her chest gets tight, and she feels phlegmy.

Others are combatting the side effects with masks left over from the pandemic.

“It makes me feel like I have a cold all the time. Like it’s hard to breathe. I get a runny nose, and it’s generally unpleasant being outside,” Aden Ritter told CTV News while wearing a mask.

If people living in areas with air quality warnings must go outside for extended periods of time, health professionals recommend wearing a tightly-fitted N95 mask and taking frequent breaks indoors.

Rescue inhalers and medications to open airways are important tools during these air quality warnings, according to Pascoe.

“If you have asthma or COPD, you’ll need it a lot more,” Pascoe said. “You may feel an air hunger, where it feels like you can’t get a fill breath in.”

Environment Canada expects the winds to shift by the weekend, which will give southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba a short break from the smoke.