Wildfire smoke has caused air quality in southern Ontario and Quebec to plummet — 8 best AHAM-certified air purifiers
Manitoba, the epicentre of the wildfires, remains under a province-wide state of emergency as extreme fire conditions force thousands to flee. Premier Wab Kinew has called it Manitoba's "largest evacuation" in living memory. More than 17,000 Manitobans have been evacuated, along with over 4,000 people in Alberta and between 10,000 and 15,000 residents in Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe declared a province-wide state of emergency on May 29, one day after his Manitoba counterpart, Kinew, did the same.
Smoke from the Canadian wildfires has triggered air quality warnings in several provinces and surrounding U.S. states. As of Friday, June 6, much of southern Ontario and southern Quebec, including Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal, have been placed under special air quality alerts.
As of 12:43 p.m. EST on Friday., IQAir, a Swiss technology company, ranked Toronto as the city with the second-worst air quality in the world and Montréal as the third-worst.
On days with poor air quality, people are more likely to experience shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and coughing or wheezing — especially if they have a chronic respiratory disease like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The small particles in wildfire smoke can get into your eyes and bloodstream, and if you have a heart or lung problem, you may experience problems earlier and at lower smoke levels.
According to Health Canada, using a portable air purifier that can filter fine particles is one way to protect your indoor environment from smoke pollution.
Air purifiers, also known as air cleaners, can improve indoor air quality by removing small contaminants that can harm your health.
According to the health authority, you should prioritize the following when choosing an air purifier:
Look for a device certified by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM).
Choose an air purifier sized appropriately for the room you want to put it in.
Consider the clean air delivery rate (CADR) for the room size. The CADR describes how well the device reduces tobacco smoke, dust, pollen and wildfire smoke. To reduce fine particles, select a device with the highest CADR.
Choose an air purifier with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.
Avoid devices that produce ozone.
Not all air purifiers are made equal. Following Health Canada's recommendations, we've listed eight AHAM-certified air purifiers and included information about recommended room sizes and CADR ratings.
Room Size: 47 ft2
Tobacco Smoke CADR: 30
Dust CADR: 41
PM2.5 CADR: 35
Pollen CADR: 52
Volts / Frequency: 120V / 60Hz
Room Size: 201 ft2
Tobacco Smoke CADR: 112
Dust CADR: 112
Pollen CADR: 112
Volts / Frequency: 100V / 50Hz | 240V / 60Hz
Room Size: 140 ft2
Tobacco Smoke CADR: 90
Dust CADR: 101
PM2.5 CADR: 95
Pollen CADR: 119
Volts / Frequency: 120V / 60Hz
Room Size: 170 ft2
Tobacco Smoke CADR: 110
Dust CADR: 120
Pollen CADR: 130
Volts / Frequency: 120V / 60Hz
Room Size: 206 ft2
Tobacco Smoke CADR: 133
Dust CADR: 141
Pollen CADR: 145
Volts / Frequency: 120V / 60Hz
Room Size: 200 ft2
Tobacco Smoke CADR: 132
Dust CADR: 130
Pollen CADR: 152
Volts / Frequency: 120V / 60Hz
Room Size: 250 ft2
Tobacco Smoke CADR: 161
Dust CADR: 160
Pollen CADR: 170
Volts / Frequency: 120V / 60Hz
Room Size: 358 ft2
Tobacco Smoke CADR: 231
Dust CADR: 240
PM2.5 CADR: 236
Pollen CADR: 259
Volts / Frequency: 120V / 60Hz
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