Smoke is bad, smog is worse

Another day of smoke in the air in Calgary as B.C. continues to deal with wildfires across that province.

There’s no denying it’s having an effect on people in the city, but is it fair to compare Calgary to some of the most polluted cities in the world right now?

Much of Alberta, including Calgary remained under an air quality advisory Thursday with the index set to be 8 or above most of the day according to Environment Canada.

In fact, in the early morning hours, Cowtown’s index was worse than chronic polluters Los Angeles, and even Beijing.

However, Tarek Ayashe, an air quality meteorologist with BC Environment says, while Calgarians certainly feel the effects while the smoke is here, they have the benefit it will eventually blow through.

“Tends to be a relatively shorter duration, it’s not a chronic phenomenon, most of the effects we’re concerned with happen over a shorter time, people are reacting to it over a matter of days,” explained Ayashe.

He also pointed out smog found in high-pollutant communities contains more harmful particles than those found in forest fire smoke.

That said, the index is bad enough that people with existing health conditions should consider staying inside, as well, seniors and infants are also at higher risk of being affected by the smoke, though even the healthiest people can still experience sore throats, and eye irritation.

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