With smokey air lingering in much of the province, many are taking health precautions such as wearing a surgical mask when outside or even on public transit.
But those masks may actually not be doing anything to protect you.
Professor at the school of population and public health at UBC, Michael Brauer says surgical masks give a false sense of security.
“So you wear a mask and you actually end up exposing yourself to more pollution than you would otherwise.”
He says there’s really no benefit to wearing them on your commute to work, and there may even be a downside.
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“If you’re going to be going to work, and you’re wearing it on the bus and you’re going to go to work anyways, then really the only concern there is that it can be more difficult to breathe.”
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He says masks are typically only beneficial for people with pre-existing health conditions, as they provide just a small amount of protection.
Brauer says if you are healthy, the impacts of the wildfire smoke are really only temporary.
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