With the current forest fires, we have never talked so much about air quality. Finally, I would tell you, since I am particularly sensitive to this subject, living with only one lung for 18 months, following lung cancer. Of course, these fires are worrying, and we regularly talk about everything we can do to help limit climate change.
However, I would like to take advantage of the recent focus on air quality so that we can also talk about what we can do to improve it. Starting with our role to play in reducing the risk of fire. Everyone knows that cigarettes are not good for the lungs (those of smokers, but also those of those around them), but we forget that it is forbidden to smoke in the forest of 1er April to November 15… and throwing cigarette butts out the car window is never a good idea, especially when driving through wooded areas. Precautions should also be taken when traveling on an ATV and other motorized vehicles, particularly with regard to exhaust pipes and the risk of sparks.
You are not a smoker and are not the mountain bike type, but rather outdoors? You know that camping fires are not allowed when the risk of fire is high, but perhaps you have also heard about the air quality in campgrounds when are fires allowed? In the middle of summer, in a campground, the air quality is often dangerous for your health, even more so than what is considered to be smog in the city. Good for the lungs, going outside to play? Not always…
The recommendations are therefore sometimes to stay indoors, close your windows and turn off the air exchanger. But maybe you’ve also heard of radon, which is the first known cause of lung cancer in non-smokers? If you haven’t done so yet, it’s high time to get a device to test the air quality in your home next fall. And don’t just rely on Health Canada standards, which are 200 parts per million (ppm). Note that in the United States, the standards are 150 ppm, while the World Health Organization recommends aiming for a radon concentration below 100 ppm. According to available data, a large proportion of homes in Quebec that do not have a radon system have a concentration above 100 ppm. However, anti-radon ventilation systems exist. There are costs, of course, but the adage says it well: prevention is better than cure… collectively, to improve the health of our lungs.