A burning smell, a sky shrouded in thick fog… Toxic smoke filled the air throughout the St. Lawrence Valley that Sunday. From Gatineau to Rimouski and across the Saguenay, air quality has been classified as “poor” by the government. The wildfires have deteriorated Quebec’s air quality so badly that the metropolis has earned the unenviable title of the world’s most polluted city.
The opaque smog that blanketed southern Quebec propelled Montreal to the top of the list of cities in the world with the most polluted air by IQAir, a Swiss company that monitors local air pollution.
The pollution index hit 238 in the morning, while the world’s second largest city, Kuwait City, reported an index of 160.
The concentration of fine particles of less than 2.5 microns in Montreal was about 35 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual guideline for air quality.
However, no significant health effects are expected for the general population.
It would take “several days, several weeks” of non-stop smog for that smoke to become a public health concern, frets Mélanie Tailhandier, chief of the Major and Environmental Emergencies Division at the Montreal Regional Public Health Department.
“There may be health effects, but during episodes [de pollution]. It’s not something that will last beyond the smog. »
However, asthmatics, people with heart problems, young children and pregnant women should be cautious if these episodes recur. Such concentrations of fine particles cause shortness of breath, asthma attacks, wheezing or chest pain. The best precautions are to stay indoors and limit outdoor physical activity as much as possible.
Health effects may occur, but only during episodes [de pollution]. It’s not something that will last beyond the smog
From Monday, air pollution should be “acceptable” again.
Wearing a cloth mask will not help protect you from this poor air quality. Only N95 masks can block these fine particles, although wearing a face covering is not recommended by authorities.
series of closures
The Mont-Tremblant Ironman was canceled “due to the ash warning and the high concentration of particulate matter”.
“Athletes are urged to limit time outdoors as much as possible and to consider wearing a face covering. […] We thank you for your understanding under these extraordinary circumstances,” the organizers said in a press release a few minutes before departure.
Almost 3,800 athletes from 23 countries, which would have meant a record number of participants for this distance in Mont-Tremblant, had to return home disappointed.
The same fate befell the Montreal Mixed Relay Triathlon World Championship activities as all of the day’s activities were canceled due to poor air quality.
World Triathlon Declaration:
The Groupe Copley World Triathlon Championship Series Montreal mixed relay event scheduled for Sunday, June 25 has been canceled due to high AQHI from wildfires in the area. pic.twitter.com/H71a2EPuUW— Triathlon Canada (@TriathlonCanada) June 25, 2023
Ditto for all of the city of Montreal’s outdoor sports and cultural activities through Monday noon. The Montreal Botanical Gardens and Insectarium were also closed. City day camps will remain open, but “will prioritize indoor activities,” according to a city press release.
Several cities also had to close their outdoor sports facilities. In particular, the communes of Laval, Longueuil and Brossard have closed access to their monitored outdoor pools due to smog. The water features remained open.
With Olivier Du Ruisseau
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