Wildfire smoke can worsen asthma. What you can do to protect yourself

In addition to asthma, research has shown that wildfire smoke is associated with more hospital visits for both children and adults with other lung conditions, one expert said.

The death of a nine-year-old B.C. boy whose asthma was exacerbated by wildfire smoke is a horrific example of how dangerous poor air quality can be for people suffering from underlying respiratory and cardiac conditions, experts say.

When wildfire smoke pollutes the air, “there is definitely an increase in asthma exacerbations,” said Dr. Anne Hicks, clinical lead of the children’s environmental health clinic at the University of Alberta.

In addition to asthma, research has shown that wildfire smoke is associated with more hospital visits for both children and adults with other lung conditions, such asviral infections, pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as heart attacks and strokes, Hicks said.

Here are some things you can do to protect yourself and your children.

Environment Canada has an Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) available online, where people can check the level of pollution in their communities. You can find it at

https://weather.gc.ca/airquality/pages/index_e.html

A rating of 1-3 is low risk, 4-6 is moderate risk, 7-10 is high risk and over 10 is very high risk.

But many people with asthma or other chronic conditions _ as well as infants, young children, pregnant people and seniors _ feel the effects of smoke and other air pollution at lower levels than people who are very healthy.