Last year, air quality in Canada was worse than in the United States for the first time since a company began publishing its annual report in 2018.
The annual Global Air Quality Report for 2023, issued by the Swiss company IQAir, indicates that raging forest fires have had a significant impact on the decline in air quality in Canada.
The report found that of the 15 most polluted cities in the United States and Canada, Canadian communities ranked in the top 13, with Fort McMurray and Peace River in Alberta topping the list.
The data show that the concentration of pollution in the Peace River, generally lower than the national average, reached levels in May worse than the annual average recorded in India, the third most polluted country in the world.
Canada was less polluted than 92 of the 134 countries, areas or territories studied in the report, with about one-eighth the average annual pollution concentration in Bangladesh, the worst country.
Only seven countries report average annual pollution concentrations that meet WHO guidelines, including Mauritius, Iceland and Australia.
The report compiles data monitoring pollution known as PM 2.5, which are very small fine particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and pose a risk to human health.
