Publications

Human health risks associated with aerially applied fire retardants : screening level risk assessment

Description

Alberta Health retained Millennium EMS Solutions Ltd. to prepare a Screening Level Risk Assessment (SLRA) related to the general public being exposed to aerially applied fire retardants used... More ≫

Description

Alberta Health retained Millennium EMS Solutions Ltd. to prepare a Screening Level Risk Assessment (SLRA) related to the general public being exposed to aerially applied fire retardants used during wildfires. The objectives of this work were to estimate human exposure to fire retardants in various media following use during a wildfire, to characterise the potential human health risks from these exposures, and to provide appropriate and valuable public health advice for residents returning to an area impacted by fire retardant use.

Tags

Human health risks associated with surface water impacts after a wildfire : problem formulation

Description

Presents findings of a study to complete a problem formulation for human health risks associated with surface water impacts after a wildfire. The main goal of the work was to better understand and... More ≫

Description

Presents findings of a study to complete a problem formulation for human health risks associated with surface water impacts after a wildfire. The main goal of the work was to better understand and assess potential human health risks from the Horse River Wildfire on surface water bodies that serve as drinking and recreational water sources and apply learnings to future wildfires. Five recommendations are provided, including a review of facilities in Alberta that are most susceptible to wildfire associated surface water risk and generation of a small suite of key indicator compounds to help notify water users of the wildfire related impacts to water.

Tags

Alberta Air Quality Notification Protocol : what you need to know

Description

This information sheet provides information on how notification, assessment, and communication of air quality events occur in Alberta. It is also intended to increase public awareness about the... More ≫

Description

This information sheet provides information on how notification, assessment, and communication of air quality events occur in Alberta. It is also intended to increase public awareness about the Air Quality Notification Protocol and to encourage the public to sign up for Environment Canada’s EC Alert Me and WeatherCAN app, as well as the Government of Alberta’s Air Quality Health Index app.

Tags

Smoke from outdoor recreational fires and wildfires : jurisdictional review and summary of management options

Description

This review summarizes the health impacts of wood smoke and provides a description of the regulatory measures that different provincial, state and municipal governments have implemented to manage... More ≫

Description

This review summarizes the health impacts of wood smoke and provides a description of the regulatory measures that different provincial, state and municipal governments have implemented to manage it. For recreational fires, bylaws from various municipalities are reviewed. For wildfires, the guidelines used in different jurisdictions to manage wildfire smoke and reduce public exposure are summarized.

Tags

Horse River Wildfire response : environmental monitoring, public health assessment and ecological screening technical summary document

Description

This report was prepared to assess whether the soil and air quality in Fort McMurray and surrounding areas met ecological and human health guidelines during the response to the Horse River... More ≫

Description

This report was prepared to assess whether the soil and air quality in Fort McMurray and surrounding areas met ecological and human health guidelines during the response to the Horse River Wildfire of 2016 and after clean-up of the debris and damage that remained. The first part of the report includes high-level summaries from literature reviews on the contaminants of potential concerns from wildfire smoke and ash and their impacts on soil and human health. The second part includes the identification of potential risks to human and ecological health from ash and soil in fire affected areas, a health risk assessment of potential ash migration into residential gardens, an overview of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo's remedial program, and a post-cleanup health risk assessment based on the post remedial soil sampling program results.

Tags

Psychosocial response and recovery evaluation of the RMWB wildfire 2016 : final report

Description

This report is an evaluation of the psychosocial supports offered during the response and recovery of the 2016 wildfire in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

Tags

Fort McMurray reentry : preliminary air quality data

Description

This technical document was prepared to provide preliminary information on particulate matter impacts on air quality during re-entry into an urban area after it was severely impacted by wildfire.

Tags