The heat wave has brought with it a danger other than high temperatures – poor air quality has also settled over Nanaimo.

The provincial Ministry of the Environment issued an air quality advisory Thursday for eastern Vancouver Island from Nanaimo to Campbell River. It is expected to last until there is an improvement in weather conditions.

That could be as late as Monday as temperatures are expected to remain above 30 C with no precipitation in sight.

The stagnant air mass has resulted in high pollution levels and high concentrations of particulate matter. Ground level ozone concentrations have also built up during the heat spell, which directly affects asthmatics.

Nanaimo is expected to have a rating of five to six on the provincial Air Quality Health Index, which means that strenuous outdoor activity should be reduced if symptoms such as coughing or throat irritation appear.

Dr. Menn Biagtan, a specialist with the B.C. Lung Association, said everybody should pay attention to an air advisory.

“Certainly the young and elderly need to be in a cool, large, preferably air conditioned space like a mall,” she said. “And with ground level ozone building, that could have serious effects for people with asthma.”

Biagtan said even healthy or athletic people should limit their midday outdoor activities and schedule outdoor exercise for early mornings or evening.

“This sort of hot and stagnant air goes hand-in-hand with an air advisory, and it’s something we don’t see much on the coast,” said Biagtan.

Symptoms of heat stroke include dizzyness and disorientation, confusion and sudden collapsing.

“This is more likely in elderly, but it also applies to anybody pushing themselves too strenuously in the heat,” she said, adding that drinking fluids, especially water, can help keep effects of heat stroke at bay.

She also said that anybody experiencing sudden respiratory problems or signs of heat stroke should immediately visit the nearest emergency department.

reporter2@nanaimobulletin.com