What parents can do to keep their children safe from wildfire smoke
With wildfire smoke bringing unsafe air quality levels to many parts of Canada, many parents are concerned about the safety of their children
Visit The Weather Network's wildfire hub to keep up with the latest on the active start to wildfire season across Canada.
Wildfire smoke inhalation can pose a serious health risk to people of any age, but for vulnerable groups such as children, the threat can be even greater.
Health experts are particularly concerned about air quality when it comes to children since their susceptibility is twofold, according to Matthew Adams, assistant professor in the department of geography at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM).
Their organs aren't fully developed and they're very active, breathing in significantly more air relative to their body mass than the average adult.
"When we burn wood, we create a whole bunch of different chemicals, unfortunately, that form these little particles that can travel through the air. We breathe those particles in. Some of them are toxic," said Adams, in a recent interview with The Weather Network.
Watch the video above from The Weather Network's Marta Czurylowicz to learn more about the precautions people should be taking.
With files from Nathan Howes, a digital reporter at The Weather Network.
