Metro Vancouver expands air quality advisory, warns of fine particulate and ground-level ozone
It’s hard not to notice Metro Vancouver’s hazy horizon. Blue skies have been replaced with a brown fog. It’s something the region has experienced during previous summers, but this year, officials say the haze is being caused by something different.
Portions of the region are under an air quality advisory, first put in place on Saturday for eastern Metro Vancouver and the central Fraser Valley Regional District. But on Tuesday afternoon, the Metro Vancouver authority said the advisory would be expanding.
“The Air Quality Advisory for ground-level ozone is being expanded to include the eastern Fraser Valley Regional District,” reads a statement from Metro Vancouver.
The authority says there’s also an elevated concentration of fine particulate matter in the air, also called PM2.5, which is expected to persist until there is a change in the weather.
“Right now, we’re stuck in a non-movement pattern,” says Armel Castellan, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. In other words, the region is experiencing a high-pressure weather system that allows heat to build up.
“What else builds up? Pollutants. Any kind of car or building exhaust,” explains Castellan. “Those things are building up over time and we can see that haze of smog when we look horizontally.”
In previous summers, views across the Lower Mainland have been obscured by wildfire smoke creeping in from B.C.’s interior, Washington, or as far south as California. So far, fires have not impacted air quality.
While the air closer to land appears to be much clearer than the smoggy skies, experts say it still poses a risk. An air quality advisory remains in place for eastern Metro Vancouver and the Central Fraser Valley Regional District, due to an increase of ground-level ozone.
Ground-level ozone forms as nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds react in the heat. Nitrogen oxides include the pollutants emitted when oil and gas is burned, while volatile organic compounds include the particles emitted from solvents.
Fine particulate matter or PM2.5, refers to airborne solid or liquid droplets with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less. PM2.5 can easily penetrate indoors because of its small size.
For people with chronic illnesses, children, the elderly and pregnant people, prolonged exposure to ground-level ozone may cause coughing, chest discomfort, or shortness of breath.
“We typically see higher concentrations of ground-level ozone in the afternoon,” says Kyle Howe, an air quality analyst with Metro Vancouver. “We really encourage people over those times to take it easy and not do overly strenuous activities.” Exposure is particularly concerning for people with lung or heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, diabetes, outdoor workers, and those who are unhoused.
“We advise people to seek out air-conditioned spaces and make sure they’re staying hydrated,” says Howe.
He adds the haze will eventually dissipate as the weather cools down, and could begin thinning out as early as Wednesday. As for whether blue skies will give way to smog again this summer, Howe says it’s difficult to predict.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Record-breaking N.B. lottery winner kept winning ticket on dresser for nearly a year
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.