Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
As wildfires continue to burn in several provinces, smoky skies across parts of the country are prompting recommendations from health officials to wear face masks to avoid inhaling harmful smoke.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters on Wednesday morning that he was feeling the impacts of the smoky air and encouraged people, especially those with pre-existing respiratory conditions, to wear an N95 mask.
“So, for all of these people, including others that may want to protect themselves against the bad consequences of bad quality air, wearing an N95 mask is the recommended procedure by health authorities," Duclos said on Wednesday.
He noted while wearing a mask is a personal choice, he still recommends Canadians wear one if they're outdoors, as the air quality is among the worst in the world.
“But we also know that these consequences will be worse, as the extent of the bad air quality continues. We are told by firefighters and other health officials that, unfortunately, the situation will continue for a few more days.”
As of Wednesday evening, several major cities across the country are reporting a moderate- to high-risk on the Air Quality Health Index including Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Toronto and Ottawa. What's especially harmful about the current air quality in most regions are the extremely small particles—called fine particulates—that can travel into the lungs when we breathe, explains Joe Fida, CIO of Canadian air purifier company Blade Air.
"It is generally not healthy because it can cause inflammation, swelling—there's a lot of very adverse effects from it and the other problem is that they stay airborne for a very long time," Fida told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Wednesday.
Fida explains these fine particulates, known as PM 2.5, are 2.5 microns in diameter, however, smaller particles can travel further distances and contaminate the air.
"Of course (larger) particulates still travel about 30 to 100 kilometres from the fire but when you look at the fine particulates, they can travel for thousands of kilometres—minutes to hours of airborne travel. But then when you talk about ultra fine particulates, that's several days or weeks they can be airborne and travel; this is what's causing a lot of the pollution downwind of where the fires are occuring."
Dr. Shawn Aaron, respirologist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Wednesday fine particulates that are swirling in the air in high concentrations can enter into a person's lungs and travel into their bloodstream causing the body to react in an inflammatory way.
Everyone can be made vulnerable to the effects of inhaling wood smoke, says Aaron. Instant symptoms of smoke inhalation can include stinging, watery eyes, and excess mucus production in the throat and nose.
For those who breathe in wood smoke for longer periods of time or have a pre-existing respiratory condition like asthma, Dr. Aaron said the body's airway tubes that bring air into the lungs can become swollen and tight, causing issues like coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath.
Additionally, inhaling wood smoke can also trigger an asthma attack in those with a history of lung disease or other chronic respiratory illness.
"The short term impacts of breathing in smoke can actually end up in an asthma or COPD attack where you actually become very short of breath and your airway spasms and you have to see a physician or go to the emergency department," he said.
Aaron adds long-term effects can include blood clots which could lead to angina or heart attacks. Additionally, prolonged exposure to wood smoke can also damage the body's airway cells that break down mucus produced in the lungs and allow the body to properly breathe and clear the lungs. Smoke can "paralyze" these airway cells, allowing the body to clog with mucus and leaving it vulnerable to other infections and bacteria.
"We see increased lung infections and increased risk of pneumonia for days after higher pollution days like today," Aaron said.
By using a face mask when outdoors, specifically an N95 mask, Canadians can reduce their risk of respiratory harms, said Aaron.
N95 masks are used to protect against 95 per cent of particulates which is why they're the recommended face mask, he said, however cloth or paper face masks can provide some mild protection against wildfire smoke.
"You're going to be exposing yourself to a lot fewer of these microscopic dust particles if you're wearing an N95 and that'll be a lot better than if you're wearing your cloth mask or paper mask," Aaron said.
Despite this, he recommends everyone stay indoors and avoid going outside if they can. Aaron says since N95 face masks can protect from fine particulates, they may not be able to fully protect people from volatile gasses being produced by the fires that continuously pollute the air.
For those remaining indoors with the windows and doors shut, additional air filtration can also ensure the indoor air quality remains clean, Fida recommends.
"Even after the pandemic we've seen many countless air threats already in just a few years. Every time you turn around, there's something else threatening our air quality," Fida said.
Having an installed air filtration system like a furnace can be especially useful during high-risk air quality warnings; however portable air purifiers can also be a more affordable option to keep the air in the home purified.
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
With carriers' flight volumes above the 60th parallel hovering below pre-pandemic levels, Canadian North’s first Inuk CEO now bears the task of balancing those financial and logistical challenges with the needs of communities for which she feels a deep affinity.
One of greatest climbing guides on Mount Everest has scaled the world's highest peak for the 29th time, extending his own record for most times to the summit, expedition organizers said Sunday.
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.
Homicide investigators in B.C. say murder charges have been laid against a fourth Indian national in connection to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara last year.
Past left-leaning presidents who enacted some of the most socially liberal policies on the continent have given way to a self-proclaimed "anarcho-capitalist" whose fiery appraisals of social justice and efforts to dismantle diversity and equity programs have made him into a global far-right icon.
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.