Latest news with #ZoePierce
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wildfire smoke is an indoor problem, too
Opinion Zoe Pierce's recent article ('An unavoidable future,' July 31) rightly highlights how worsening air quality from this summer's wildfire season is affecting outdoor athletes in Manitoba. But the conversation can't stop there. While it's important to protect players running drills on smoky fields, we need to talk about the rest of us, quietly breathing in the same polluted air, hour after hour. Poor air quality is affecting all of us in Manitoba this summer. We are still new to the realities of wildfire smoke as a public health threat. Even if some of us are checking the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) or using sensors to track fine particulate matter in the air around us, few understand what those numbers really mean — or the health risks that come with prolonged exposure. Most of us spend about 90 per cent of our time indoors, and many of our homes, offices and public buildings are simply not equipped to keep people safe during the hazardous air that comes with widespread wildfires. Older buildings were not designed to manage the sustained presence of wildfire smoke. With climate change making wildfire seasons longer, more severe and more frequent, the long-term health consequences including respiratory issues, cardiovascular stress and pregnancy complications are only getting worse. The truth is, we don't have adequate indoor air filtration in most buildings. That's not just a design issue — it's a policy failure. Standards for indoor air quality have not been set in legislation or regulation anywhere in North America and no mechanism for enforcement is available if their poor air quality is present. By law, buildings in Manitoba have minimum heating levels while strict occupational health limits exist for high carbon dioxide levels in workplaces. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) provides clear comfort guidelines for filtration and ventilation levels. However, most buildings don't follow those standards because they don't have to. There are no mandatory regulations in place, in Manitoba or virtually anywhere else in the world, to safeguard air quality indoors, even though the science is clear and the health risks are significant. When the air outside is visibly smoky, many people close their windows and assume they're safe. But unless your building is filtering incoming air at a high enough level, you are still being exposed to contaminated air. Most HVAC systems bring in outdoor air as part of their ventilation process. If those systems aren't filtering properly, or if filters aren't replaced frequently enough, you're still breathing that wildfire smoke inside. The impact of breathing in contaminated air can lead to mild symptoms such as brain fog and fatigue, itchy eyes, or scratchy throats (what we might call 'sick building syndrome'). It can also aggravate more severe symptoms for people with existing respiratory issues. People with asthma, young children, the elderly, pregnant individuals and those with chronic illnesses are especially vulnerable to poor indoor air quality. For them, a smoky summer day isn't just unpleasant. It's dangerous. This is especially true in buildings where systems are larger, older or harder to modify quickly. That said, there are solutions that can be quickly accomplished in any building. Upgrade your existing furnace or HVAC filters, add portable air cleaners with HEPA filters or seal off air intakes temporarily during high-smoke days. These aren't complex or expensive retrofits and this situation of prolonged wildfires absolutely calls for it. So why isn't more being done? In short: because no one is measuring and enforcing it. Until there is a mechanism in place to measure and regulate indoor air quality much of the responsibility falls to individual building owners, employers and tenants to protect themselves and their communities. That means office managers, school administrators and landlords need to step up, in the absence of regulatory change by policymakers. If we're serious about public health — and about adapting to a future shaped by climate change — we need standards for indoor air filtration. And we need them soon. Fortunately, we don't have to wait for government to act. Individuals can begin by tracking indoor air quality in their own spaces. Low-cost sensors are widely available and can provide real-time data on how clean air is. If the air is bad, act: ask your building manager to upgrade filters or bring in additional temporary filters. In a pinch, you can build a DIY filter using a box fan and a furnace filter. This can have an immediate impact on your well-being. We need to start treating wildfire smoke events as the public health emergencies they are. Smoky skies are changing how we play, train and compete outdoors. But they're also quietly changing how we live indoors. We may not all be athletes doing high-intensity training outdoors, but that doesn't mean our lungs are safe from short- and long-term risks associated with poor air quality. We can't see the smoke when we're inside. That doesn't mean it isn't harming us. This summer has made it painfully clear: the air around us is getting worse. It's time we started acting like it. Matt Schaubroeck is an advocate for increasing air quality solutions within buildings.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
The new normal? I sure hope not…
I've never been one to wish away summer. It's far too short and typically goes by far too fast around here. But I'm prepared to make an exception this year for one big reason — the damn smoke that has become a staple of everyday life lately. It's impossible to ignore, especially when you consider the massive swath of damage and despair impacting folks from communities across the province. Even just stepping outside these days feels like a dangerous game, with not a whole lot of 'fresh air' to be found. Smoke obscures the downtown Winnipeg skyline as seen from Westview Park. (Mike Deal / Free Press) I'm a relatively healthy 50-year-old with no chronic conditions, and it's taking a toll. I don't think my eyes and nose have stopped running since spring. I've had more headaches over the past few months than in the previous 10 years combined, and I often feel nauseous if I spend extended periods in the not-so-great outdoors. A round of golf on a smoky day? I'll be feeling that for a while. A long walk through my favourite river trail? That's suddenly not so appealing anymore. I can't even begin to imagine what this is like for people with compromised health. Thankfully, it looks like some relief is in sight — at least in the short term — with plenty of rain in the forecast to follow what's already fallen earlier this week. But that's likely just a temporary Band-Aid on what has become a massive wound — one that's now impacting professional and amateur sports, outdoor theatre, festivals, and so much more. Our sports intern, Zoe Pierce, just wrote a terrific feature on this issue — one that has me very worried about what the future holds. That's why I'm not ashamed to say I'm counting down the days until the hot weather goes on hiatus and we start to feel a chill in the air. Hopefully it's air that's a whole lot easier to breathe. Smoke hangs over neighbourhoods in south Winnipeg as seen from Pembina Highway. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files) OK, that's enough doom-and-gloom for one newsletter. On to some happier thoughts: 🏒 Another reason to get excited about what's coming? We're now just six weeks away from the start of Winnipeg Jets training camp. Colleague Ken Wiebe and I had a great meeting this week with our sports editor, Grace Paizen, to brainstorm coverage plans. As always, we'll be following the team at home and on the road — one of the few newspapers in North America still doing that. ✈️ And this year brings a major bonus: we're taking our show all the way to Milan, where the NHL will be on full display at the Winter Olympics. I'll be there for the duration, along with what I expect will be several Jets players and plenty of Manitobans on both the men's and women's hockey teams. I can't wait. ✉️ Speaking of the Jets, Ken and I are working on our latest monthly mailbag. Got a question? Hit 'reply' to this email and fire away. The August edition drops Sunday on our website. ⚾ Three games. 63 hits. 45 runs. Safe to say the Toronto Blue Jays enjoyed their visit to Denver this week. As much fun as it was to watch three blowout wins, I genuinely pity the fans of the Colorado Rockies, who are being forced to endure one of the worst teams in MLB history. With a 30-84 record and a -316 run differential, it's nothing short of a joke. Talk about a Rocky Mountain mismatch. Advertisement Why this ad? 🏋️♀️Bravo to Winnipeg's Sydney Michalyshen, who just finished 21st in the world at the 2025 CrossFit Games in New York. She was the only Manitoban, and one of just three Canadians, to qualify for the final stage of competition. ICYMI, here's my recent feature on her accomplishments. 🏇 The 77th Manitoba Derby was one for the ages — a 'you have to see it to believe it' race on Monday night that resulted in four different objections and the eventual disqualification of the runaway favourite who had seemingly cruised to victory. I've been watching horse racing for most of my life, and that was one of the most reckless rides I've ever seen by jockey Rasheed Hughes on board Take Charge Tom. It's a minor miracle that all the horses and humans remained upright given the way he cut across traffic and caused a dangerous chain reaction. Special kudos to jockey Ciera Pruitt, the 22-year-old rookie from Winnipeg, who calmly steered War Is Hell out of danger despite the fact Take Charge Tom clipped his heels. That could have been a tragedy on the track. Pruitt — the second-generation rider I wrote about earlier this summer — continues to impress in so many ways. This was her Derby debut — one of only five local jockeys to get a mount in the race with all the others being imports — and it definitely won't be her last. 🎵 Last but not least: a happy opening to the talented cast and crew of Frozen , which begins tonight at Rainbow Stage. My nephew is part of the production, and I know they're all going to break legs with their performances, which run through Aug. 24. Here's hoping the weather cooperates and keeps the air quality manageable so folks can enjoy the show under the fabulous outdoor dome.
