Forest fires force smog warning in Greater Montreal area
A smog warning has been issued for the Greater Montreal area by Environment Canada.
"Smog especially affects asthmatic children and people with respiratory ailments or heart disease," the agency states. "It is therefore recommended that these individuals avoid intense physical activity outdoors until the smog warning is lifted."
The warning is due to forest fires in northwestern Ontario and Manitoba that are creating poor air quality in these areas.
According to the Quebec government, the short-term symptoms of breathing in air pollution are:
- Eye irritation;
- Wheezing or difficulty breathing;
- Irritation and inflammation of the respiratory tract (coughing);
- Shortness of breath, especially during physical activity.
The severity of these symptoms depends on a person’s health and the level of pollution they are exposed to, the government states.
You should consult a doctor as soon as possible if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Chest tightness;
- Pain when breathing deeply;
- Difficulty breathing despite not having engaged in physical activity.
Experts warn the smoke could cause serious harm.
"When you breath in those particles they get into your lungs and into your blood stream," explained Jill Baumgartner, an assistant professor with the McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy.
Babies, seniors and those with breathing issues are most at risk, said Scott Andrew Weichenthal, assistant professor in McGill University's department of epidemiology, biostatistics, and occupational health.
As always, Société de transport de Laval (STL) commuters will be able to take a bus or shared taxi for $1 due to the smog alert.
Launched in 2008, the STL Smog Alert initiative promotes the use of public transit when air quality deteriorates.
Environment Canada expects conditions to gradually improve by Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
'We hoped for this day, but we were scared that it would not never ever come because it took so long.' That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.