Invisible Enemy, Visible Impact

Children and teens with asthma are at increased risk during periods of poor air quality, especially during wildfire smoke events. It is unclear how short-term spikes versus sustained exposure to pollutants like PM₂.₅ and NO₂ affect asthma risk in Central Calgary, making it difficult for families to protect vulnerable youth.

I analyzed real-time, government-monitored air quality data from OpenAQ for Central Calgary. I compared two periods: pre-wildfire (Dec 15–17, 2025) and during the wildfire (Dec 18–19, 2025). I examined PM₂.₅, NO₂, and O₃ levels, focusing on peak timing, intensity, and duration, to identify patterns of short-term versus sustained exposure and their potential impact on asthma risk.

I studied how PM₂.₅, NO₂, and O₃ affect asthma in youth and reviewed examples like the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where reduced pollution led to fewer asthma-related hospital visits.

Air quality data from OpenAQ showed pre-fire short spikes in PM₂.₅ and NO₂ that returned to baseline, while wildfire days had sustained elevated levels. The data highlights increased concentration and longer exposure during the fire.

Wildfire smoke increased both the intensity and duration of PM₂.₅ and NO₂ exposure, raising asthma risk in youth. Sustained exposure poses greater respiratory risk than brief traffic-related pollution spikes

American Lung Association. (n.d.). Air pollution and asthma. https://www.lung.org/ Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. (n.d.). Asthma resources and information. https://aafa.org/ Asthma Canada. (n.d.). Asthma triggers. https://asthma.ca/get-help/asthma-triggers/ Government of Canada. (n.d.). Asthma in Canada: Age and sex data. https://health-infobase.canada.ca/datalab/asthma-blog.html Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Asthma: Diagnosis and treatment. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20369660 Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Asthma: Symptoms and causes. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma/symptoms-causes/syc-20369653

Medical News Today. (n.d.). Asthma and air pollution. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/ MDPI. (2020). Air pollution and asthma: Atmospheric pollutants and health impacts. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/10/1066 MDPI. (n.d.). Impact of air pollution on asthma outcomes. https://www.mdpi.com/ OpenAQ. (n.d.). Global air quality data platform. https://openaq.org/ Respiratory viruses putting pressure on Alberta Children’s Hospital. (2023). https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/rsv-respiratory-viruses-alberta-children-s-hospital- The rise of asthma in children: A review of recent evidence. (2014) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3984898 Western States PEHSU. “Air Pollution and Asthma – Dr. John Balmes.” YouTube, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RB6j-LnBOQ.

My parents, teachers, and mentors for guidance and support, and to OpenAQ for providing the government-monitored air quality data used in this project.