Montreal and Toronto rose, on Sunday, among major cities with the worst air quality in the world, due to smoke from forest fires in Western Canada. For its part, Quebec City was standing up for the two Canadian metropolises.
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Around 6:30 p.m., the air quality index (AQI) amounted to 152 in Montreal and 146 in Toronto, according to data from the IQAIR surveillance site. These levels placed the two Canadian metropolises respectively in the 4th and 6th in the world of large cities most affected by air pollution.
Capture taken from the IQAir site
At the same time, the AQI of Quebec was also located at 146 which placed the provincial capital at the limit of the category “bad for health for people at risk”, according to Iqar.
Badly
At the top of the list was Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with an index of 277, followed by Bakou, Azerbaijan (160), Kamala, in Uganda (157). Lahore, in Pakistan, came 5th with her AQI of 151.
According to a special environment of environment Canada published on Sunday morning, the risks linked to air pollution in Montreal were deemed high (7) and had to stay until Monday morning, before decreasing at a moderate level (4) during the day on Monday, then low (2) on the night of Monday to Tuesday.
Rene Baillageon / QMI Agency
In Quebec, health risks were deemed higher (8) than in Montreal, according to Environment Canada. The situation was also due to improve by Monday.
In addition to poor air quality, fire smoke in meadows also reduced visibility in certain regions.
Environment Canada recalled that people most vulnerable to the effects of air pollution are:
- people aged 65 and over;
- pregnant women;
- infants and young children;
- People with chronic health problems or pre -existing diseases.
The authorities also recommend that people working outside avoid intense physical activities and consult a healthcare professional in the event of symptoms.
“You could feel light and frequent symptoms such as eye irritation, nose or throat, or more serious, but rarer effects, such as chest pain or persistent cough,” it was said.
For those who remain inside, it is recommended to keep the windows and the doors closed as much as possible.