Another sooty day ahead from that widespread smoke from wildfires burning in northern Ontario and Quebec.
Dr. Emil Prikryl at the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit says younger children, older adults, pregnant women, and those with preexisting heart and lung and other chronic conditions are most at risk from this.
What should everyone do?
It's not realistic, he says, to stay indoors 24/7, but there are precautions you can take, "Paying attention to the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) because that does change over time. Limiting outdoor activities, especially strenuous physical activities. And if you have difficulty breathing, or are experiencing more severe symptoms like chest pain or severe coughing, palpitations of the heart, breathing, or dizziness, then you should be stopping these activities altogether."
In fact, Dr, Prikryl advises you to seek medical attention for any of those symptoms.
"Mild symptoms like irritated eye, nose and throat, mild headaches, mild cough, those are just useful kind of warnings that, okay, I'm being exposed to the smoke. Maybe I should reconsider, you know, the time I'm spending outdoors today."
Drinking plenty of water will help your body cope with the smoke, and not just during the time you're exposed to it. The impact on health can be immediate, but can also have a delayed effect, even several days down the line.
The Air Quality Health Index in the Barrie area is expected to reach 7 on Wednesday and 9 on Thursday, both are considered high-risk. By comparison, Kingston began the day Wednesday with an AQHI of 25. In Ottawa, it was 28.
Local school boards are keeping a close eye on conditions in terms of outdoor activities.
The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board says, "decisions will be made by schools on a case-by-case basis. The school will send communication to families if a decision is made to move to indoor recess."
The Simcoe County District School Board told Barrie 360, "Recommendations from the SMDHU, including proactive measures to minimize exposure specifically for those with health conditions, have been shared with staff. At this time the air quality index in Simcoe County is such that outdoor activities may continue. We are monitoring the air quality and may provide further direction should it worsen."
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