— Keraunos (@KeraunosObs) June 26, 2023
In modeling for the coming days, the European Earth monitoring program Copernicus showed the movements of the ash cloud until Thursday June 29th. Ireland, the United Kingdom, then France, Portugal and Spain would be affected.
#Copernicus for #air quality monitoring ⁰ In recent weeks #Canada has been hit by fires affecting air quality in several cities ⁰ #CopernicusAtmosphere #CAMS forecast for the next few days shows aerosols moving from #Quebec across the North Atlantic to Europe. twitter.com/RFXwSFg1CI
— Copernicus EU (@CopernicusEU) June 26, 2023
Mark Parrington, director of Copernicus, spoke on Twitter of “significant smoke” from Canada.
What impact on air quality?
Air quality in Canada is so bad that as of Monday, June 26, Montreal was ranked the most polluted city in the world, according to IQAir, a Swiss company that provides live data on the world's major cities. The fine dust concentrations are so high that several major sports competitions had to be canceled on Sunday, June 25th. The mayor of Montreal also urged the population to carry out activities indoors, avoid outdoor physical activity, close doors and windows in residences and stop air exchangers.
Composed of various gases and particles – ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter (PM2.5) – “Smoke from forest fires poses a danger to everyone, but especially to young children and pregnant people.”, smokers, “The elderly, people who work or exercise outdoors, as well as people who are already affected by the disease or have chronic health problems such as lung or heart disease or diabetes,” the Canadian government said in a press release about the impact of wildfires on the Health.
A 2021 study published in the journal Nature also suggests that PM2.5 pollution caused by wildfires may be more toxic than PM2.5 particles caused by other PM2.5 sources. These fumes would result in a 1.3 to 10% increase in hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses.
Thick cloud of smoke in New York
At the beginning of June we remember the apocalyptic images of New York drowning in the cloud of smoke from Canada. President Joe Biden also urged Americans to exercise extreme caution: “It is important that Americans facing dangerous air pollution, especially those with health conditions, listen to local authorities to protect themselves and their families,” according to IQAir New York was also the most polluted city in the world for a few hours.
Does the ash cloud expected in Europe – and in France this week – pose a health risk? Although the effects of these fumes are difficult to quantify, the presence of particulate matter PM10 and especially PM2.5 requires us to remain vigilant. Due to their small size, these PM2.5 microparticles can penetrate deep into the lungs. According to monitoring conducted by Public Health France, “an increase of 10 µg/m3 PM2.5 was associated with a 15% increase in the risk of non-accidental all-cause mortality.”
As for the cloud coming from Canada, the impact on human health is expected to be far less dangerous than in North America. They could stay aloft without significantly affecting air quality.
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