Toronto air quality drops to second-worst in world as city chokes on wildfire smoke

A haze of wildfire smoke engulfed Toronto on Monday morning, pushing the city's air quality to some of the worst on the globe and triggering a warning from the government's climate agency.

Wildfire smoke from northern Ontario has descended on the province's economic heart, and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) responded with an air quality warning for Toronto issued early Monday morning.

ECCC warns that wildfire smoke is "causing the air quality to deteriorate significantly," adding that "poor air quality may persist through the day and possibly into Tuesday for some areas."

The air quality is so bad that there is only one city in the world with worse conditions, according to IQ Air's live ranking of the most polluted major cities.

As of 8 a.m. on Monday, Toronto's air quality came in at at 179, within IQAir's "unhealthy" range, sitting in second place among major cities around the world.

Only Baghdad, Iraq, ranked ahead of Toronto on Monday morning with a "very unhealthy" air quality of 245.

Toronto's air quality ranks just ahead of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo at the time of publication.

IQAir

ECCC is warning locals that "during heavy smoke conditions, everyone's health is at risk regardless of their age or health status."

Wildfire smoke poses even greater risks for those aged 65 and older, pregnant people, infants and young children, individuals with an existing or chronic illness, and people who work outdoors.

Those who must spend time outdoors are encouraged to wear a respirator-type mask to minimize risks.