Calgary air quality on Friday among the worst cities on earth
Calgary and several other Canadian communities experienced hazardous air quality levels on Friday due to heavy wildfire smoke. IQAir data ranked these Canadian locations among the worst in the world for air quality, prompting official health alerts.
Why it matters
The event underscores the increasing frequency and severity of wildfire-related air quality crises in North America.
A thick blanket of wildfire smoke that hung over the City of Calgary Friday sent the city’s air quality index soaring — and compared to the air quality in other major cities around the world, it was among the worst on the planet , according to measurements by Switzerland-based air quality technology company IQAir.
Environment Canada’s Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), which measures a combination of common air pollutants that are harmful to human health, including ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, put Calgary’s air quality at 10+, which is defined as “very high risk.”
The AQHI measures air quality on a scale of one to 10 , with one being the best air quality and 10 being the worst.
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