Kingston atop scale for poor air quality due to Quebec wildfires

Tuesday was forecast to be a sunny day in Kingston, Ont., but instead, the city was shrouded in smoke.

The forest fires in Quebec have created a haze across Ontario, and the Limestone City is getting the worst of it.

Environment Canada said June 6 that Kingston has the worst air quality in the province, sitting at level 10 – the highest level on the air quality scale.

“Everything was orange. It was very surreal,” said Kingston resident Dylan Van Dusen.

A brown-yellow haze thick enough to block out the sun has plagued the region for two days, making many people think twice about venturing outside.

“It’s kind of hard to stay inside today because of school and work and stuff like that, but if I had a choice I’d stay inside. It’s harder to breathe and a hotter climate,” said Van Dusen.

“I woke up this morning and saw how bad the weather was. I thought for my own health’s sake, I’ll put on a mask,” said Kingston resident Claire Lee.

However, a regular surgical mask like the kind we were ordered to wear during the covid lockdowns won’t do the trick.

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According to KFL&A Public Health’s air quality statement, an N95 mask is the only mask that would be effective to filter out smoke.

Public Health is recommending that people ‘limit’ their time outdoors and avoid strenuous exercise outside as Kingston’s air quality index soars.

4:42 The effects poor air quality will have on your health

“You really want to make sure that the outdoor air isn’t coming inside into your home. Use your air conditioning if you have it, use any HVAC circulation. If you have any filters, please use that,” said KFL&A Public Health Environmental Health Facilitator Miranda Iezzi.

Patios sat empty on Tuesday as did playgrounds. School boards kept children inside for recess.

The Limestone District School Board has also cancelled all outdoor recess and extra-curricular activities for Wednesday.

While health organizations urge caution for those going outdoors, they say some exposure for a healthy person with no underlying conditions will not pose much risk.

“It’s a very small risk to the average person. The person who has to be careful about this kind of pollution is someone whose got asthma or COPD,” said respirologist Dr. Mike Fitzpatrick.

And it looks like the smoke is here to stay for at least a couple more days. According to firesmoke.ca‘s radar, heavy smoke will continue to drift down into the Kingston region until at least Thursday.

With wildfire season only just begun, we may have to get used to the haze and the smell reminiscent of campfires, which coincidentally, are banned in many area municipalities due to the ongoing dry weather.

3:19 Canada projected to have worst year of wildfire destruction