Some smoke but little concern in Regina, says air monitoring group

A group that monitors air quality in the Regina region says the city has largely avoided a rise in particulate matter coming from U.S. wildfires.

“Regina has been spared most of the smoke, unlike the forest fires that were up in northern Alberta a few years ago,” said Murray Hilderman, executive director of the Great Plains Air Zone (GPAZ).

The Great Plains Air Zone is a non-profit organization that checks for air quality for a 40,000-square-kilometre region that spans from around Outlook and Moose Jaw through Regina to areas near Yorkton and Kamsack.

GPAZ operates three monitoring stations which take data and derive an Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) reading using a formula from Health Canada.

The lower AQHI number the better, which is what Regina’s reading was Monday, Hilderman said.

“When you look outside, you can see fairly clearly. You look across at other buildings or things in the distance at ground level, which … is a visual indication the particulate matter is not too bad,” he said.

“When you look up at the sun, it does look a little orange (Monday) so the wildfire smoke is in the province but it’s staying higher up in the atmosphere.”

On Tuesday morning, Regina’s AQHI was at 1, a sharp contrast to readings higher than 10 in Vancouver, where air quality advisories had been issued.

Wildfire smoke contains a number of pollutants. Particulate matter, or PM 2.5, is one of them, which can get into the lungs or even the bloodstream.

“When the elevated levels occur, it affects not only the asthma and lung-type illnesses but it can also increase diabetic-type symptoms or other health concerns,” Hilderman said.

“There are studies that show hospital visits increase with short-term exposure to PM 2.5. It might not result in long-term health impacts but it would increase short-term, episodic type of health concerns with people with pre-existing diseases.”

As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, Environment Canada had not issued any kind of special weather statement or alert for smoke in Saskatchewan.