The air quality advisory prompted by smoke from B.C. forest fires is now over.
Alberta health officials lifted the advisory this afternoon, one week after imposing it.
“The air quality has greatly improved this week throughout the province,” said Dr. AndrĂ© Corriveau, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health.
If smoke does drift into Alberta from B.C. it’s not expected to be at a level that would be hazardous to health, he said.
“In the meantime, I advise anyone with asthma, bronchitis or emphysema to monitor local air quality conditions before planning any outdoor activities,” Corriveau added.
Only trace amounts of smoke may affect air quality in Alberta over the weekend, according to Bluesky, a smoke forecasting system used by Alberta and B.C. The smoke tracking system can be viewed online at http://www.bcairquality.com/bluesky.
Smoke and fine particulate matter in the air can be absorbed deep into an individual’s lungs where it can aggravate existing health conditions. People with respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, or cardiovascular conditions such as angina, previous heart attack and congestive heart failure may be most affected, Corriveau said.
Alberta Health and Wellness and Alberta Health Services monitor the air quality throughout the province in co-operation with Alberta Environment. Current air quality and the Air Quality Index (AQI) can be accessed at Alberta Environment’s website at http://www.environment.alberta.ca/index.html or by calling 1-877-247-7333.
