August 3, 2026
Air Quality Update | August 3, 2026 | 2 min read
Smoke from wildfires burning across the Pacific Northwest and Canada is dragging air quality down across a wide stretch of the U.S., and health officials are sounding the alarm for one group in particular: people living with asthma.
Fires burning across eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and Idaho, plus a brutal season north of the border, are pushing smoke into U.S. skies and degrading air quality in the process. More than 900 wildfires are currently active in Canada, and Ontario is in the middle of its worst wildfire season on record.
Christopher Carlsten, MD, director of the Centre for Lung Health, put it bluntly: there's a strong case that fires like these are seriously affecting people with asthma. Alongside Emily Brigham, MD, an assistant professor of respiratory medicine at the University of British Columbia, he points to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) as the culprit: heavier smoke exposure tracks with more rescue inhaler use, more asthma-related doctor visits, more ER trips, and, across a population, a rise in deaths during major smoke events.
Asthma Canada's guidance boils down to five things: keep tabs on wildfires and air quality in your area, keep your asthma action plan current, run an air purifier indoors, stay on top of prescribed medication, and drink enough water. When you do have to go outside during heavy smoke, they recommend a well-fitting N95, keeping your inhaler within reach, and running your car's AC on recirculate with the windows up.
Sort of. Dr. Brigham notes that if you can see or smell smoke, the risk is already high. But the reverse isn't true: clean-looking air doesn't guarantee it's actually safe to breathe.
Prep your home before smoke arrives
Even sealed-up homes aren't immune: fine smoke particles find their way in regardless. Worth doing now:
Sources: AJMC (Sabrina McCrear), citing AccuWeather, Asthma Canada, and The Guardian.
