Gellatly Bay in West Kelowna, Aug.20, 2023.

(MARSHALL JONES / iNFOnews.ca)

A key measure of air quality records the amount of particulate matter under 2.5 micrograms in size and how much there is in each cubic metre of air.

Readings above 25 are considered unhealthy.

From noon to 1 p.m. yesterday, Aug. 21, Kamloops air had a reading of 984 while Kelowna came in at 187.3.

That doesn’t mean the health effects of the wildfire smoke, which is putting those fine particles in the air, is five times as bad.

"When it gets to a certain point, the increase of risk at that high level actually kind of plateaus,” Angela Yao, a senior scientist the BC Centre for Disease Control’s environmental health services team, told iNFOnews.ca. “So, a value of 1,000 is not necessarily 10 times the risk of 100.”

Even readings of 25 are not considered particularly healthy so it’s best to avoid smoke as much as possible, she added.

Yao said that readings this high are not unheard of in wildfire situations but it is hard to find historical data on how Kamloops compares to past years or other locations.

A CBC article out of Calgary in May said that city had some of the worst air quality in the world at 539 and Grande Prairie got up to 626.

During the particularly smoky summer of 2021, the readings in the Okanagan got to the 350 range.

READ MORE: Okanagan’s air quality takes a nose-dive; Kamloops improves slightly

Most data sources on PM2.5 have monthly or annual readings, which are not comparable to single-hour spikes.

By 4 p.m yesterday, the reading in Kamloops had dropped to 869.6. In Vernon it was 126.6, in Kelowna it was 158.6 and Penticton came in at 198.2.

The smoke can trigger eye irritation, runny nose, sore throat, mild cough, phlegm production, wheezy breathing or headaches that can usually be managed without medical attention, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.

People should seek medical treatment for more severe symptoms, such as shortness of breath, severe cough, dizziness, chest pain or heart palpitations.

Avoiding the smoke and using air filtration systems are the key recommendations to prevent being troubled by the smoke.

People with respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are at the highest risk of experiencing health effects but people with conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer or mental illness are also at increased risk.

By this morning the air quality had improved but still remains bad in Kamloops with and Air Quality Health Index of 10+ and a PM2.5 reading of 232 at 6 a.m.. The Okanagan Air Quality Health Index was moderate with PM2.5 readings of 41.5 in Kelowna, 44.5 in Vernon and 133.7 in Penticton.

The entire region is remains under a special air quality statement today.

Kamloops has  a 30% chance of showers today, increasing to 70% tonight with the risk of a thunderstorm. It will be much cooler with a high temperature of 25 Celsius expected today but only 16 C tomorrow.

The Okanagan has a 70% chance of showers by noon today through the evening with the risk of thunderstorms. The highs forecast today range from 19 C in Vernon to 23 C in Penticton. Highs throughout the Okanagan are forecast to be 19 C tomorrow.

Go here for the PM2.5 map.

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