In mid-July 2023, destructive wildfires moved across British Columbia. Tragically, nine-year-old Carter Vigh from 100 Mile House died in the confusion. An asthma attack, worsened by smoke from bushfires raging nearby, was listed as the cause of his death. The incident has raised significant alarm and unease over air quality monitoring in the province’s rural communities. In turn, his family, with his mother Amber Vigh at the head of the charge, is pushing for changes to be made—immediately.
The summer of 2023 became Canada’s largest wildfire season on record, with more than 25,000 square kilometers burnt across Canada. Smoke from these wildfires was responsible for an estimated 82,000 deaths worldwide. Public health representatives aren’t surprised that the air quality monitoring systems in rural British Columbia are lacking. As a result, they’re worried these gaps will cause communities to be unnecessarily exposed to hazardous levels of smoke.
The Personal Impact of Poor Air Quality
Carter Vigh’s asthma attack was exacerbated by the poor air quality caused by the smoke. His mother, Amber Vigh, shared the difficulties that families encounter when attempting to track air quality.
“We checked the air quality on our phone, not knowing that our closest air quality monitor was a hundred kilometers away,” – Amber Vigh.
In past wildfire seasons, the proliferation of non-accessible and often inaccurate air quality data has put hundreds of thousands of families in harm’s way. Amber feels like having access to real-time air quality monitors would give them the power to make decisions. This would go a long way to truly protect their health.
“If we had real-time accurate air quality monitors … we might have stayed inside instead,” – Amber Vigh.
The emotional toll of Carter’s death is joined by perfect frustration from all those with the same health care needs. For other youth, like young asthma sufferer Roland Latimer, the experience of going outside on smoked-out days can be terrifying.
“I feel very trapped when I can’t go outside because of my asthma. It’s really frustrating,” – Roland Latimer.
Advocacy for Change
Following the tragedy, Carter’s family pushed for change. They collaborated with the B.C. Lung Foundation to make monitoring systems for air quality more accessible to rural communities. Through their initiative, they hope to distribute personal air quality monitoring devices to underserved families across the country. The B.C. Lung Foundation has real concerns about the health impacts of poor air quality and is committed to educating the public. Like Carter’s family, they all want to prevent other families from suffering a tragic loss just like Carter’s.
Chris Carlsten, director of the University of British Columbia’s Air Pollution Exposure Laboratory, is actively studying the health impacts of poor air quality. He explains that unlike conventional traffic pollution, the impacts of wildfire smoke can actually be worse.
“It’s actually worse for the lungs than traditional traffic-related pollution,” – Chris Carlsten.
Carlsten’s lab is unique. It conducts real-time exposures to air pollution to study its effects on human health and wellness.
“[The lab] is one of only a few places in the entire world where we can safely expose humans to air pollution in real time,” – Chris Carlsten.
Carter’s family is collaborating with health advocacy organizations to ensure better local air quality data is used. Together, their goal is to improve community health resilience during wildfire seasons.
The Wider Health Implications
The impacts of bad air go far beyond one missed asthma attack. Public health experts are raising the alarm that the damage is extensive and irreversible and will represent a catastrophic retreat for public health. Sarah Henderson, a leading health researcher with the BC Center for Disease Control, shares the bigger picture about air quality’s impact on our collective wellness.
“When we’re talking about deaths, we’re talking about the very tip of the iceberg of those health impacts,” – Sarah Henderson.
She elaborates by noting that for every death attributed to air pollution, there are typically five hospitalizations. Alongside that, it is able to ignite dozens of medical procedures and tests.
“Because for every death, there’s maybe five hospital admissions and 10 ER visits and 20 visits to the doctor and a hundred new prescriptions filled,” – Sarah Henderson.
Henderson’s big message is that *indoors* needs to be a place where people with asthma and other respiratory diseases can go and be safe. She emphasizes the importance of clean indoor air and how there’s a great opportunity to create healthy environments.
“If the indoor air quality is clean, 90 per cent of our health is protected,” – Sarah Henderson.
