…Canada’s 45 million acres of scorched forest last year added yet another record-breaking statistic, one of the largest burnt areas in world history. The MacMillan Center’s “Smoke from Canada” conference organized by the Committee on Canadian Studies, explored the aftermath of the fires included presentations from School of the Environment researchers and a keynote presentation delivered by guest speaker Pierre Minn, an anthropology professor at the University of Montreal. “As we saw with the wildfire smoke last summer, the effects of climate change in Canada are not confined within the country’s geographical boundaries,” said Brendan Shanahan, MacMillan Center postdoctoral associate and panel moderator. …wildfires can also initiate deadly ripples throughout the ecosystem, as their pollutant can be toxic to vegetation by inhibiting plant photosynthesis. …Researchers added that prolonged exposure to smoke comes with a steep toll on human health as well.
BOSTON — For many parts of the country, devastating forest fires are an annual event. But last summer, for the first time in memory, daylight was obscured in the northeast for days, as unprecedented fires burned in Quebec and Nova Scotia. We all remember the photos from New York — essentially turned to night as pollutants blocked out the sunshine and the medical community sent out warnings against breathing in particulate matter. Dermatologist Shadi Kourosh, director of the Dermatology Division of Community Health at Massachusetts General Hospital noticed something else: a sharp increase in the number of skin conditions she and her colleagues were treating. Those observations inspired Kourosh to dig deeper. Her study was published in the online journal “
Wildfire season started early this year in Alberta and along with that comes the dread of smoke-filled skies. The Calgary Region Airshed Zone (CRAZ) is hosting its first workshop on the health impacts of wildfire smoke on Monday in Canmore. The workshop will include staff from Parks Canada explaining the prescribed burns in Banff National Park and an expert from the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control talking about the health impacts of the smoke. Bloor said there will be practical information on using microsensors for air quality and how to build your indoor air filter. The town of Canmore is expected to highlight their emergency response plan for extreme heat and wildfire smoke that went into effect in 2023. Banff has come up with ideas to deal with the impacts of wildfire smoke like increasing access to cool and clean air spaces and adding more air monitors.
In April 2023, WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors approved amendments to Part 3 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, relating to the provision of occupational first aid. These amendments will take effect November 1, 2024, to give employers time to obtain any required first aid training and equipment necessitated by these changes. As part of our engagement plan for the upcoming Occupational First Aid regulatory changes, we’ve posted the 
More firefighters will learn how to develop and improve their mental-health resiliency through enhanced access to a psychological wellness training program. The BC Occupational Awareness Training online program, administered by the BC Municipal Safety Association and First Responder Health, will be offered to BC Wildfire Service staff and include more training about how to manage daily stress and anxiety. “Firefighters are there for us in the most trying times of our lives and it can take a toll on their own mental health,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “Because they are so used to helping others through high-stress situations, it can be challenging for some first responders to take the time to focus on their own mental health.” …Launched in spring 2023, the online program is available to all municipal firefighters throughout the province and all BC Wildfire Services staff.
Steep slope emergency response planning continues to be a key area of focus for the BC forest industry. To assist contractors with the development and execution of Emergency Response Planning and drill execution, BCFSC is developing a three-part video series focusing on some of the fundamental elements of emergency response planning and execution for steep slope harvesting operations. The second video of the series has just been released and demonstrates challenges crews will encounter to reach a worker that requires medical assistance while inside the cab of a piece of equipment. The importance of regularly practicing emergency procedures to verify their effectiveness, recognize potential deficiencies and ensure employees are adequately prepared are all highlighted as key learnings. The video also identifies tools and equipment crews should consider taking to the scene to ensure they are prepared for any scenario they may encounter.
New climate projections for the City of Vancouver have found the number of days the city spends under a heat wave every summer could spike 16 fold compared to the 1990s if the world continues burning fossil fuels under a “business-as-usual” scenario. The 
In this edition:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is preparing new air quality regulations. The new rule will have significant and adverse impacts on manufacturing, including Wisconsin’s paper industry, a major driver of the local economy. The EPA is poised to lower the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for fine particulate matter. But the agency’s proposal does little to address some of the largest sources of particulate matter, and it fails to acknowledge a decades-long trend of declining ambient air levels of fine particulate matter. …To start, fine particulate matter is emitted by a variety of sources. Major emitters include wildfires, road dust and exhaust fumes. These sources account for nearly 84% of all emissions of fine particulate matter. Yet the EPA’s proposed rule does not account for these sources and their public health impact. …The American Forest and Paper Association has shared these concerns in a letter to the White House.
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Driving through Wilmington’s Sunset Park neighborhood, you may notice two large white inflatable domes built by wood pellet manufacturer Enviva Biomass. The domes have been in operation since 2016. That’s when residents said they began to see sawdust on their property and in the air. They claim the sawdust blows from the domes onto their property and in the air. “Days within them firing up these things, that’s when we started noticing all the dust in the air. Cars getting covered. Plant life getting covered. Our houses. I mean, everything,” Dane Larson, a neighbor in Sunset Park, said. …The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality calls it fugitive dust, and, according to Hillaker, it’s been linked to premature death and heart disease.
