She now uses it four to five times a day instead of once or twice a week.

“The air is full of particulate matter, which makes me want to vomit,” she said. “The first thing you notice is the smell before the pungent smell. I would compare it to living in an ashtray.

“Every breath without a respirator is as short as a breath of air. [I’m] Almost afraid of taking a deep breath, knowing that this will cause a cough and make the situation worse and more difficult. “

Harlan is not alone. With about 250 fires raging across the province, thousands of people are exposed to poor air quality, which is especially difficult for those with health problems. There are still 200 wildfires burning across the country.

Climate change is expected to intensify wildfires, estimated from By 2100, the land burned in Canada increased by 74% to 118%.

Watch | What are the health effects of wildfire smoke?

Although the risk of smoke is one of the biggest concerns, there are some less obvious health issues, such as the impact on mental health and clean water that need to be considered.

Questions about long-term effects

Scientists who study air pollution (including pollution caused by wildfires) study various types of emissions, but the most common measurement is particulate matter (PM), especially PM 2.5.

PM 2.5 is a fine particle of approximately 2.5 microns or smaller. Inhaling them can affect the lungs and heart, thereby exacerbating existing health problems, such as asthma or heart and lung diseases.

The immediate effect may be obvious, but doctors are also working to better understand the long-term effects.

“In the past five summers, four of British Columbia have experienced severe wildfire smoke incidents. And… we are not sure what the long-term health consequences of people exposed in this way are, like a Another season,” said Sarah Henderson, director of environmental health sciences at the Centers for Disease Control of British Columbia.

“These huge and significant wildfire smoke exposures may affect the health of these people throughout their lives.”

And these particles will not only affect those who live near the fire. Smoke can be far away from its source and sometimes spread all over the world.

Jeff Eyamie, Regional Air Health Officer of Health Canada, said: “For major smog incidents, you will see the intercontinental spread of smog.”

“For the Fort Mac Fire [in 2016], Their smoke is as far away as Ukraine, and they can be traced back to the fire in Fort McMurray. ”

Domestically, on July 19, the Canadian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change issued an air quality warning for southern Ontario (including Toronto and Ottawa) because smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario enveloped the province. A week later, parts of Quebec, including Montreal, received similar consultations.

Irritable

Then there is the impact on mental health. Wildfires sometimes force people to evacuate from their homes, causing high levels of stress. People living in areas with dense air may also be forced to stay indoors for long periods of time. In addition, there may be other hidden costs, such as the consumption of asthma medications.

Courtney Howard, an emergency physician in Yellowknife and the former president of the Canadian Association of Environmental Physicians, participated in a study that interviewed 30 residents of Yellowknife who are exposed to wildfires each year. In this study, they were asked how it feels to live in the smoky air for a long time.

“People tell us that they feel anxious and irritable,” she said. “They were kept in cages and had a fever… A lot of comments about reduced physical activity. So, of course, it means that people lose the therapeutic benefits we know we get from outdoor sports.”

Howard said that once, the Mayor of Yellowknife opened up an indoor sports space so that people can move around in a well-ventilated place. This is something she thinks officials may need to consider when dealing with climate change in the future.

the effect on the environment

The particles floating in the air not only affect the health of the body. These particles will also fall on trees, plants, buildings, and eventually fall into the water.

Ashes, sediments and minerals not only flow into streams and rivers, but also into lakes and reservoirs downstream, which may affect drinking water and cause algae blooms.

The good news is that in Canada, the water purification system can filter most of them. But the increased pressure on the system means that it may cost more to treat higher levels of pollutants.

Monica Emelko, a professor at the University of Waterloo, said: “The problem with fire and drinking water is not-and I must emphasize that it is not-is usually a problem,’I am drinking some kind of toxic pollution. Is it a physical thing?'” Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

“This is a question:’If toxic pollutants enter the water, can you get something you can use from your tap?’ … When we encounter these disturbances in the landscape, this is indeed It promotes our ability to do this in a cost-effective manner.”

Uldis Silins, professor of forest hydrology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, said this also has an impact on the ecosystem. For example, when sediments and minerals flow into the water, they can disrupt the chemical balance in the lake.

“One of the things we have seen repeatedly is that it has a very large impact on sediments and other things,” Silins said. “Unlike other types of interference pressures that we may be considering, the scope of these impacts is not a 30% or 50% increase in sediment production, but hundreds or thousands of percentage points, and therefore, an order of magnitude increase in those pollutants.”

As humans rely on these ecosystems, there may be other consequences, such as the impact on fish in lakes that are eaten.

Eyamie of Health Canada said: “I don’t think I am bold enough to say that we are in a climate emergency. Everyone needs to be aware that this is happening.” “These models may not be 100% accurate, but they are accurate enough. Arouse everyone’s attention.”