Three BC ministries — Health, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, and Forests — provided an update on on wildfire and smoke conditions in British Columbia. This is the first wildfire season update that has included Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry. … Effects of wildfire smoke can be felt even at a distance from the fires, said Dr Bonnie Henry in her opening remarks. Children are more affected because their lung are small relative to their body weight. Smoky air can result in throat irritation, headaches, cough and runny eyes which Dr Henry called “short term effects”. But she says she has “concerns” about long term effects, including how very small PM2.5 particles of from smoke and soot get deep into the lungs and infiltrate to other parts of the body. …She highlighted an announcement that N95 masks are being provided free in BC wildfire zones, through the Canadian Red Cross with federal funding.