The study area is situated in northern Saskatchewan and includes three northern Saskatchewan health authorities known as the Keewatin Yatthé, the Mamawetan Churchill and the Athabasca Health Authorities. [...] Due to the proximity of residents to the forest and exposure to smoke from wildfire and the already high indicators of respiratory illness, this northern population would be vulnerable to the potential impact of climate change on wildfires. [...] Contributions of this study toward the advancement of knowledge relating to climate change and human health include the development of a comprehensive, integrated climate, wildfire and health database, a literature review of particulate matter and human health, plus a workshop regarding the impact of and adaptation to the effects of wildfires and smoke on human health. [...] Because climate change has the potential to impact the number and frequency of forest wildfires in northern Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Environment, Saskatchewan Health and the Saskatchewan Research Council initiated efforts to examine the relationships between forest wildfire occurrences and (respiratory and cardio-respiratory) hospitalization rates as well as assess the potential for increased fo [...] Factors considered important to respiratory health are the effects of smoke on the local residents including the density and duration of the smoke in the community (Irvine 2005).
- Pages
- 156
- Published in
- Canada
