FEEDBACK – Survey asks, ‘How is smoke from B.C.’s wildfires affecting you?’
Downtown Kamloops under the smoke. (Image: Mel Rothenburger)
How is the air pollution caused by wildfire smoke affecting you?
That’s what the Kamloops Physicians for a Healthy Environment Society wants to know, and it has created a survey to ask residents a number of questions.
Among the questions are whether the situation has caused a change in lifestyle, what symptoms have been caused, changes to work or duties, curtailment of exercise, and others.
Results so far show that most people believe the air contamination has “severely” changed their lifestyles, and that the most common symptoms are eye irritation, throat irritation and headaches.
Few have used the health care system as a result, and few have made major adjustments at work.
However, the poor air quality has prompted most to change or curtail their exercise activities and outdoor chores such as gardening and yard maintenance.
Almost half have made changes to their furnace filters and/or air vent filters; only about eight per cent have taken to wearing masks.
And 66 per cent want a provincial review of wildfire prevention strategies, with almost as many wanting “more understandable data in ‘real time’ for air quality alerts.”
The survey, and current results, can be accessed by clicking here. The KPHES is asking that one survey per household be completed.
This survey is put out there by the same group apposing Ajax.
It seems obvious what they are doing is using the opportunity provided by the smoke to create statistical lifestyle and health related facts of the smokes affect of air quality, just so they can attribute the same numbers on the Ajax front. More than a few of the questions are leading and the provided answers are limited to creating a bias report.
This is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
I’m thinking that this wildfire season may not turn out to be the anomaly we’d like to believe it is. And if this is what we can expect somewhat regularly in future years, perhaps it’s time to ponder how we deal with the smoke from a regulatory perspective.
Not that I want to increased bureaucracy, but when I read about how particulate levels lower than what we’ve been experiencing trigger special measures in Beijing, I question why I’m seeing people outside doing hard labour. I’m sure their Health and Safety people would freak out if they weren’t wearing their hardhat and reflective vest… but for some reason it’s fine to have them out there working hard and sucking this crud into their lungs.
Why? I’ve never considered China to be a shining example of health and worker’s rights…