The Air Quality In Vancouver Is One Of The Worst In The World & The TikToks Are Wild (VIDEOS)
It's "primarily due to smoke from wildfires burning in B.C. and Washington."
Smoke in Vancouver due to wildfires in 2020.
Vancouver has one of the worst air quality ratings in the entire world right now due to wildfires in B.C. and in Washington.
TikTok videos and photos posted to social media show the poor visibility of the air in Metro Vancouver, which is categorized as "unhealthy" by IQAir as of October 20.
The IQAir world major city air quality ranking has Seattle at the top, followed by Portland. The main pollutant for Vancouver and the U.S. cities on the ranking is PM2.5. In Vancouver, the concentration of PM2.5 "is currently 12.9 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value."
@vanninvancity Holy hazy batman. My eyeballs have been irritated all day from the smoke and the haze. For those not from Vancouver this is typically a North Shore mountain view. Air quality advisories are in place due to wildfires in BC and Washington. #vancouverbc #vancouver #vancouverlife #pnwlife #britishcolumbia
Environment Canada (EC) has issued air quality alerts for areas in B.C., including Metro Vancouver. In the alert, EC stated that PM2.5 is fine particulate matter, referring "to airborne solid or liquid droplets with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less," which can "easily penetrate indoors because of its small size."
\u201cView from @CFOXvan studios this morning! \nAir Quality Advisory is still in effect.\u201d— Karen K (@Karen K) 1666019611
"On October 19, Metro Vancouver Regional District is continuing an Air Quality Advisory for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley that was issued October 14 because of high concentrations of fine particulate matter, primarily due to smoke from wildfires burning in B.C. and Washington," the statement read.
@jarrett.hennig lord Jesus it's a fire. #Vancouver #BritishColumbia #airpollution #environmentcanada
Wildfires in the Chilliwack, Hope, and Washington areas have led to smoke impacting the air in communities across the province.
@rachelbarkman *the low lying stuff is morning fog* but dang, these smokey skies are giving me major climate anxiety. #vancouver #pittmeadows #britishcolumbia
The statement said that eastern parts of the Fraser Valley "are experiencing greater smoke impacts compared to western parts of Metro Vancouver" due to their proximity to the wildfires.
@kostonlillies Visit TikTok to discover videos!
The smoke is expected to stay stagnant until Friday, the statement added, when weather conditions are predicted to change. IQ Air's ranking of Metro Vancouver is set to drop from 156 down to 9 on Friday, falling another 4 points on Saturday before levelling at 5. Good news is this would bring the city back into the optimal range of air quality.
The statement advised people to limit outdoor physical activity, especially those with underlying health conditions.
"If you are experiencing symptoms such as chest discomfort, shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing, seek prompt medical attention. Call 911 in the case of an emergency," it read.
@slapsoldonit How are you handling the smoke??!?! Tried to match these shots as best I could. Crazy when u see these side by side. Please, please, please rain soon. #howbadisthesmokeinchilliwack #bcforestfires #canadaforestfires #forestfire #forestfires #forestfires2022 #forestfireseason #forestfiresmoke #smokeinchilliwack #smokeintheair #fraservalleysmoke #bc #canada #dji #drone #views #chilliwack #sardispark #fires #forest #bcburning #needrain #airquality #airqualityrightnow #airqualityalert
People have also taken to social media in Seattle, about a three-hour drive from Vancouver, to show the poor air quality.
@kirstie.chan stay safe everyone, just waiting for the rain to come here in Seattle...
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.