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Staying safe

Those who suffer from chronic diseases are especially vulnerable to heat and smoke

March 28, 2025

A couple of years ago, my neighbour Mario told me about how the smoke from all the wildfires affected his health and his breathing. 

“I had five masks on all at once, just trying to breathe normally. However, it was an obstruction to my breathing more than anything,” said Mario during a recent interview on our building’s rooftop.

Mario said he has COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Things got really bad for him during the 2021 heat dome that saw temperatures skyrocket and wildfires rage across Western Canada.

“It was terrible. I hated it,” he said.

People with underlying health issues are more likely to experience complications from extreme heat and smoke events.

What’s more challenging for Mario, is that he has very little trust in doctors after a traumatic experience following hip surgery, where he felt like the surgeon was unhelpful and dismissive of his condition. So he’s less likely to visit a hospital when he’s experiencing health issues.

Dr. Linda Thyer, a family doctor in Vancouver, co-founded Doctors for Planetary Health, a non-partisan grassroots group of activist health care professionals who work with communities to raise awareness about the climate emergency.

Thyer said she recognized a long-standing relationship between human health and the health of the environment: the air we breathe, the water we drink and the soil that all of our food grows in.

  According to Thyer, during smoke and heat events, she sees the most negative impacts in people who have respiratory problems. However, extreme weather affects all kinds of diseases. People with COPD or asthma  will experience adverse health effects the first and the fastest, however, it also affects people with heart disease, diabetes and even Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions, Thyer said.

Scientists are just now learning from recent research that tiny particles of wildfire smoke get into the lungs and bloodstream, and can travel to all of a person’s organs — impacting how they function. Thyer said that although there is little research data available yet to say exactly how the function is impaired, changes have been observed in the frequency and the nature of doctor visits.

And climate change affects more than physical health. When the air is smoky and hot, an individual’s mental health also suffers and can include the worsening of depression and anxiety. When the air quality is bad, many people — like Mario — can’t go out and often isolate.    

A stark example of the deadly consequences that can occur is what happened during the summer of 2021, when a heat dome that set record-high temperatures in B.C. resulted in the deaths of 619 people. According to the BC Coroners Service, most of them were elderly residents with compromised health. Most died at home. The two main issues were the extreme heat and widespread wildfire smoke, which affected the elderly and the young the most. 

There are measures one can take to stay  safe during extreme weather events, said Thyer, such as staying on top of taking any medications that have been prescribed — which is easy to forget when feeling exhausted from heat or foggy from smoke.  People with COPD or asthma may even need to increase their medications, she said.

When it’s smoky, a lot of people will close all their doors and windows and try to keep the air as fresh as possible in the house. If you can get an air purifier, that always helps, she said. 

Although many people can’t afford that, there are makeshift do-it-yourself air purifiers that have been found to be quite effective. SFU Health Sciences students put out information in print, video and online [https://bclung.ca/diyaircleaners] about how to make your own air purifier from a simple fan and an air filter, said Thyer. 

If you can get an N95 face mask, they filter out a lot of the small particles that can get into your lungs. The N95 masks tend to be better than the surgical blue ones, which may not be as tight fitting. The tighter the mask fits to your face, the better it is at keeping particulate matter out, said Thyer. If you see the mask going in and out with each breath you take, then it’s a good tight-fitting one and it will protect you better. 

Then there’s the heat. In Vancouver, most people don’t have air conditioning in their apartments or homes because historically, it wasn’t needed. But it’s important to stay cool somehow, especially  for those whose bodies or organs are not functioning at their absolute best. This includes those with diabetes, lung diseases and heart or kidney problems, as heat puts more stress on those organs, said Thyer.

Fans can be helpful, and if you live in a place that has more than one room and one of the rooms is cooler, designate it as a cooling room and keep blinds down and curtains drawn. 

Also, wetting a bed sheet, towel or shirt and wrapping it around yourself can have a cooling effect. So does having a spray bottle to dampen yourself.

Staying hydrated is also important, because if you are not properly hydrated, your body can’t sweat the way it needs to in order to cool your body down. Also, when people sweat a lot it can throw their electrolytes out of balance, said Thyer. Some heart and blood pressure medications can affect electrolyte balance too. Gatorade and electrolyte tablets can be added to your water. Or, the cheaper (less tasty) option is to just add a little salt.

For people with underlying health issues, speaking to a doctor you can trust can be helpful in preparing you for extreme weather events.

Here are some resources from Dr. Linda Thyer: 

• DIY- Air purifier — https://bclung.ca

• Air Quality Index — provides current air quality ratings in cities and communities around Canada —

• IQAir — gives specifics on certain air quality measures in Vancouver

— https://www.iqair.com/ca/canada/ british-columbia/vancouver-bc

• Health recommendations on safety for exercising or working outside — https:// vancouver.ca/home-property-development/ alertable-public-alerting-system.aspx  

Julie Chapman is a born-and-raised Vancouverite who now lives and works in the Downtown Eastside. Julie was a longtime volunteer with SWUAV (Sex Workers United Against Violence), and is currently involved with the B.C. Association for People on Methadone and the BC Centre for Substance Use. She is a member of The Shift peer newsroom, and is a published poet and writer. She is also a self-taught pianist.

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James Witwicki is grateful for the progressive housing he lives in at Smith-Yuen Apartments on East Hastings Street. The 52-unit building has been pro-active in addressing the climate crisis and supporting residents with various physical and mental illnesses. Amy Romer photo.