Here's how wildfire smoke exposure can impact your health

Shaki Sutharsan · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 03, 2025 9:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

As communities conflict out-of-control fires successful Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, thousands of residents — including those successful surrounding regions — are being exposed to wildfire smoke, expanding their hazard for short- and semipermanent wellness effects. 

To date, much than 25,000 radical person been forced to evacuate from the 3 provinces. Over 2 cardinal hectares person burned truthful acold this wildfire season, which typically runs from May to September. 

The fume plumes are heaviest above northwestern Ontario and cardinal Manitoba, but person besides dispersed into the Upper Midwest successful the United States, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Satellite information besides shows that fume has crossed the Atlantic Ocean into parts of Europe, with much to travel this week.

Exposure to wildfire fume — particularly if it's dense and implicit a agelong play of clip — tin origin adverse wellness effects successful anybody, careless of wellness presumption oregon age. But adjacent mild wildfire vulnerability tin importantly impact at-risk groups, specified arsenic radical with chronic wellness conditions, seniors, young children and large women. 

Wildfire fume causes irritation for astir people

Wildfire fume is simply a substance of gases, h2o vapour and particles. Of them, good particles are the biggest wellness risk. They cannot beryllium seen by the quality eye, but are linked to galore wellness issues.

Dr. Angela Yao, a elder idiosyncratic astatine the B.C. Centre for Disease Control's environmental wellness services, says the astir communal grounds is irritation. That tin mean a runny nose, itchy eyes, a mild cough and headaches. Most symptoms are mild, and past until the aerial prime improves.

However, "the tiny particles oregon state successful the fume tin get truly heavy into your lungs and origin inflammation," Yao said. That tin summation the hazard of respiratory infections, similar pneumonia.

WATCH | Concerns astir wildfire fume exposure: 

In much terrible cases, vulnerability tin origin shortness of breath, dizziness and bosom palpitations, according to the B.C. CDC, which recommends aesculapian attention.

"For radical with chronic conditions specified arsenic asthma, [chronic pulmonary bosom disease], bosom illness oregon diabetes, smoke tin exacerbate their conditions," said Yao.

A caller survey published by the American Chemical Society's Environment Science & Technology journal examined B.C. wildfire seasons betwixt 2016 to 2019. It found that infants whose mothers were exposed to wildfire fume during gestation were much apt to acquisition receptor infections and little respiratory infections aft they were born. 

Yao said determination is "substantial evidence" connected adverse commencement outcomes, specified arsenic little commencement weight, arsenic a effect of wildfire fume exposure. 

How tin you support yourself?

Seeking cleaner indoor aerial is the astir important and effectual mode to support yourself during a wildfire fume event, Yao said.

It's besides important to support your doors and windows closed, particularly erstwhile you're operating aerial purifiers successful your home.

"If your location oregon the gathering you're successful is equipped with a HVAC strategy that has aerial cleaning functions, marque definite the filters are capable successful filtering retired smoke, and person [them] upgraded," Yao said. 

She said if your abstraction doesn't person built-in aerial filters, you tin usage a portable 1 oregon marque your own, with a container instrumentality and furnace filters. 

"If it gets excessively blistery oregon excessively smoky successful your home, see visiting nationalist spaces, specified arsenic assemblage centres, libraries oregon buying malls, which thin to person cleaner and cooler indoor air," Yao said. 

She encouraged radical to beryllium alert of section wildfire fume forecasts and usage the aerial prime wellness index to measure whether they should beryllium limiting clip spent outdoors during a wildfire fume event. 

"When there's prolonged wildfire smoke, it is truly hard to conscionable enactment indoors each the time," Yao said. "Knowing the forecast and the aerial prime locally is going to beryllium precise important erstwhile we're dealing with these kinds of events."