Toronto placed under air quality statement warning of high risk to health

Today might be a good day to pull those N95 masks out of storage, as Toronto has been placed under a special air quality statement from Environment Canada that warns of high levels of air pollution in the region on Thursday.

The government weather and climate agency issued the alert just after 10:30 a.m., warning of "the possibility of deteriorating air quality" amid an exceptionally hot and sunny stretch of late-spring weather.

⚠️Special Air Quality Statement has been issued for southern Ontario, including Niagara and parts of the Greater Toronto Area. Increasing ground-level ozone concentrations are the main concern.#AirQuality #BeAirAware #ONwx

Alerts👉https://t.co/NroNFtyhpJ pic.twitter.com/i6k0sRcsZS

— ECCC Weather Ontario (@ECCCWeatherON) June 1, 2023

The statement warns that "conditions are expected to cause increasing high levels of air pollution in the above regions," adding that air quality health index (AQHI) values will bring moderate risks throughout the day and "the potential of short-term high-risk AQHI values this afternoon into early this evening."

Toronto is split into four areas on the AQHI information page, all of which will see an AQHI level of 7 — signifying high risk — at some point on Thursday.

Downtown Toronto will see the highest risks in terms of air quality, reaching level 7 for roughly half of the day. Toronto West registers slightly lower air quality risks for Thursday, followed by the northern and eastern areas of the city.

These conditions can often make people experience symptoms including coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath.

Environment Canada states that "exposure to air pollution is particularly a concern for children, the elderly, and those who have underlying medical conditions such as lung or heart disease."

The alert comes with Toronto already under a heat warning for the two-day stretch including Thursday and Friday, making for a double-whammy of hazards for anyone out there enjoying the ample sunshine this week.