Wildfire smoke in July and August significantly impacted the health and lifestyles of residents in the Kamloops area, say doctors. They have issued recommendations, including preparing air shelters for those without proper ventilation.
A report published by the Kamloops Physicians for a Healthy Environment Society said the air quality during the unprecedented wildfire season “had direct physical, psychological, social and economic impacts to citizens.”
In early August, the smoke was so thick in Kamloops that it reached 18 out of 10 on the Air Quality Health Index with citizens at high risk.
An online survey conducted Aug. 7-Sept. 4 found more than half of the 641 respondents (54.5 per cent) categorized their lifestyle as severely affected by the wildfire smoke.
The survey also found:
- 502 people suffered from throat irritation (79 per cent)
- 502 people suffered from eye irritation (79 per cent)
- 474 people suffered from headaches (75 per cent)
- exercise outdoors was severely affected in 346 (54.8 percent) of respondents
- 58 people (9 per cent) wore a mask to exercise outdoors at all
Only one person reported going to hospital with severe symptoms while five used the emergency room, 13 had to go to a community health provider and 147 used more of their usual medications such as inhalers, sinus tablets, or other pills. The majority, 65 per cent, toughed it out.
“We encourage the health authorities to develop a system of monitoring the health of the population in B.C. for both short term and long term health impacts,” the report stated.
It also called for alerts with a timescale that could describe short-term fluctuations in the smoke produced by wildfires.
During extreme smoke events, the report said the province should:
- supply facemasks of the proper quality to adequately filter out the fine particles produced by wildfires
- prepare a disaster response plan should include industrial sized filters installed in strategic public buildings to act as air shelters for those who do not have homes with air-conditioners or furnace fans
The group said some respondents to the survey wanted better surveillance, fines and actions taken against those starting fires through careless human activity.