Environmental Health

Air Quality

Air quality affects our health and well-being.  Good air quality supports a healthy way of life. However, air quality can change very quickly, just like the weather. This is especially true during forest fire season.

Forest fire or wildfire smoke affects people differently.  This is based on how long a person is exposed to smoke, their age and health. 

GNWT’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources monitors air quality across the NWT as part of the National Air Pollution Surveillance Network. For information on current outdoor air quality, see:

For more information on health effects related to forest fire or wildfire smoke see: