What started as a sunny, clear day in Brandon took a turn toward the end of the morning as wildfire smoke drifted into town. According to Environment Canada, that smoke is thick enough to cause some problems.
This afternoon, Environment Canada issued an air quality advisory for Brandon and area, citing wildfire smoke as the cause. According to their advisory, the smoke will cause very poor air quality and even reduced visibility, though it may fluctuate hour by hour.
Fine particulates in wildfire smoke cause the biggest health risk, with anyone who works outdoors being especially susceptible. Others who are most likely to be affected include seniors, pregnant women, people who smoke, infants and young children, people involved in strenuous outdoor exercise, and people with an existing illness or chronic health condition.
If the smoke lingers, Environment Canada recommends staying indoors as much as possible, keeping windows closed, considering the cancelation of outdoor sporting events, and keeping cool (as this is an extremely hot day for this time of year as well as a smoky one).
They added that if you do have to spend time outdoors, a well-constructed, well-fitting and properly worn respirator type mask (such as a NIOSH-certified N95 or equivalent respirator) can reduce your exposure to the fine particles in the smoke.
