Smoke from western wildfires likened to hazardous ‘chemical soup’
VANCOUVER — Inhaling smoke from a wildfire can be equal to smoking a couple of packs of cigarettes a day depending on its thickness, says a researcher studying wildfires in Western Canada.
Mike Flannigan, a professor with the Department of Renewable Resources at the University of Alberta, said the smoke is like a “chemical soup” that can be trapped in the lungs and cause a number of health issues.
“They are all kinds of particles, mercury, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane … there’s a whole long list.”
Depending on the size of the particles, they get trapped in the lungs, accumulate over time and cause “all kinds of problems,” Flannigan said.
“The more we are finding out about smoke and health, the more we are finding out it is bad for us, which isn’t a surprise — but it’s worse than we thought.”
Sarah Henderson, a senior environmental health scientist at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, said the smaller the particles, the worse they are.
Flannigan and Henderson made presentations at the B.C. Lung Association’s annual workshop on air quality and health on Wednesday.
Their appearances were timely after extreme wildfire seasons in British Columbia in 2017 and 2018. Smoke from forest fires last year reached Atlantic Canada and even as far away as Ireland.
Emissions vary depending on the differences in fuel, burning conditions and other factors, Flannigan said.
The spread hinges on how high smoke and fire columns rise. Winds can carry the particles north to Europe and Asia, across the world and back again, Flannigan said.
“They can travel long distances for long periods of time.”
Henderson said most people living in polluted places face a risk of chronic diseases and slightly shorter life expectancy but that data comes from cities such as New Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world.
The air quality in British Columbia is “extremely good” except for a few weeks during wildfire season, she said.
“If we have a season like 2017 and 2018, year after year for the next 20 years, we probably will have a health impact on the population. But we don’t know what that will be yet,” Henderson said.
People should protect themselves from the smoke by spending time indoors, using air filters and not exercising strenuously when outside, she said.
In 2017, the area burned in B.C. was 12,000 square kilometres, which was a record until last summer when 13,000 square kilometres of the province were consumed by fire. The B.C. government declared a state of emergency for both seasons.
The intensity of wildfires, as shown through remote sensing, is also increasing, Flannigan said, noting that as fuels get drier, it is easier for fires to start and spread.
The wildfire season is also starting much sooner, he said.
In Alberta, the wildfire season used to begin April 1. It’s now starting March 1 and lasting longer.
“In Canada, our area burned has doubled since the 1970s. And my colleagues and I attribute this to — I can’t be any clearer — human-caused climate change,” he said.