As air quality worsens in Western Canada amid the wildfire smoke from Alberta, a respirologist is urging Canadians in the region to keep their children indoors.
"It is very concerning. Smoke from wildfires has a number of bad effects on the lungs and on the airwaves and people need to be concerned," Aaron said.
Smoke from wildfires leads to the presence of fine particulate matter, also known as PM2.5, circulating in the air. This can cause the sky to look hazy and. Breathing in these fine particles, Aaron says, can lead to lung inflammation and can be dangerous, especially for those with pre-existing lung conditions.
"What it's going to do is it's going to cause wheeziness, chest tightness, cough and shortness of breath. You can have those symptoms if you're exposed to wildfire smoke, regardless if you have previous lung disease," he said. "If you go out in this environment, especially if you exercise in this environment, you're much more likely to get lung inflammation and lung injury.
Aaron advises people in these regions, especially children, should stay indoors with the windows closed and turn on air conditioning, if possible. In particular, he recommends avoiding exercising outdoors. "When you exercise, you increase your minute ventilation you breathe in proportionally more smoke, and you create more lung injury and lung inflammation," he said.
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