Calgary air quality among world's worst due to wildfire smoke

Calgary's air quality plummeted on Friday, ranking among the worst in the world due to a thick blanket of wildfire smoke. Measurements by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, placed the city's air among the planet's most polluted.

Environment Canada's Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) registered Calgary at a "very high risk" level (10+). This index measures pollutants harmful to health, including ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter. While Edmonton and Lethbridge saw moderate air quality, Red Deer also experienced a "very high risk."

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very high risk

Canadian communities, including Ashcroft, B.C., Airdrie, Alta., and Calgary itself, registered worse air quality than major international hubs like Lahore, Delhi, and Beijing. Calgary's AQHI of 10+ placed it particularly high on the list of cities with the worst air on Earth.

Environment Canada issued "orange" air quality alerts for a significant portion of western and central Alberta. These alerts signify widespread health impacts expected to last several days. Dr. Anne Hicks, a pediatric respirologist, warned that poor air quality can trigger asthma and COPD attacks, increase the risk of respiratory infections, and even raise the likelihood of strokes.

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Poor air quality is harmful to us. It can cause asthma and COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] attacks. It increases your risk of being really sick with a respiratory infection … It can even increase the risk of stroke in people.