Air quality warning issued for Medicine Hat Tuesday morning

During heavy smoke conditions, everyone’s health is at risk regardless of their age or health status.

Limit time outdoors. Reschedule or cancel outdoor sports, activities and events.

You may experience mild and common symptoms such as eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches or a mild cough.

More serious but less common symptoms include wheezing, chest pains or severe cough. If you think you are having a medical emergency, it’s advised to seek immediate medical assistance.

When indoors, it’s advised to keep windows and doors closed as much as possible.

When there is an extreme heat event occurring with poor air quality, it’s recommended to prioritize keeping cool.

Actions to protect your indoor air from wildfire smoke can include using a clean, good quality air filter in your ventilation system and/or a certified portable air cleaner that can filter fine particles.

If you must spend time outdoors, it’s advised to limit the time as much as possible.

Environment Canada said a well-constructed, well-fitting and properly worn respirator type mask can reduce your exposure to the fine particles in the smoke.

More information is available at canada.ca/wildfire-smoke.

Information on how to reduce your health risk is available at airhealth.ca

by Jesse Gill

Air quality warning issued for Medicine Hat Tuesday morning

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