Medical issues surge amid poor air quality
B.C.’s disease control centre expects more daily doctor visits and prescriptions for lung conditions
A surge in visits to doctors and in prescriptions to treat lung ailments has been linked to the “terrible air quality” caused by wildfires as the weeklong air quality advisory for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley continues, making it the longest continuous advisory on record.
In some areas of the province, such as the North Shore, authorities expect a whopping increase in physician visits.
Computer modelling shows a 120-per-cent increase in daily physician visits and an 80-per-cent rise in the number of asthma prescription medications dispensed at pharmacies, according to Sarah Henderson, an environmental health scientist at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).
Henderson said the data is tabulated daily in the B.C. Asthma Prediction System (BCAPS), which was launched after previous severe wildfire seasons.
The surveillance system tracks health effects associated with forest fire smoke, using data on asthma-related physician visits and the number of prescriptions filled for lung conditions. It is used to inform public health officials about the predicted effects of wildfire smoke.
Hospital admissions due to the smoke are not available because such information is not collected in real time, Henderson said.
The BCCDC warns that the smoke is filled with fine particles that irritate eyes, throats and lungs. As the body mounts an immune response to the particles, inflammation results, exacerbating lung conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and asthma.
The smoke can also compromise the health of babies, including those in utero, children, the elderly and anyone with already compromised health.
“We are experiencing terrible air quality. Asthma is like the canary in the coal mine,” Henderson said, adding that while an increase in heart attacks and strokes are possible serious effects, more common effects include pneumonia, bronchitis, inner ear infections, headaches and feeling faint. Health experts say this year’s B.C. wildfire season could eclipse last year as the worst ever.
Francis Ries, a senior environmental engineer in the air quality and climate change division of Metro Vancouver, said the current advisory has been in effect for a week, which means a new benchmark has been set. Last summer, advisories were in effect for 19 days in total, but they weren’t consecutive days.
The current haze is related to nearly 600 fires burning in the province, especially a few dozen around Prince George that are producing “apocalyptic” images and effects, Ries said.
Rain that is forecast for later this week should help displace the dirty air and improve air quality.
The poor air quality has created significant challenges for outdoor activities.
And over the weekend, Kelowna International Airport had about 30 flights cancelled due to “unprecedented” low visibility. More than 1,000 travellers were affected.
“We’ve never had that happen here before,” said airport operations manager Sean Parker.
Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson said the gradual return of blue skies doesn’t mean things are back to normal.
“People will stick their noses out and see the sun for the first time in a long time and think it’s fine to go out and do their normal exercise,” he said. “(But) the particulate matter is still high, so there’s still an outside activity warning for people.”