Toronto 2nd worst in the world in this category

It’s not something to brag about — Toronto was the second worst in a global ranking on Monday.

The city had the second-worst air quality in the world as of Monday morning, according to IQAir, a free, real-time air quality monitoring platform.

Toronto was behind Bagdad, Iraq and above Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Lahore, Pakistan on the list on Monday morning.

The ranking puts Toronto in the “unhealthy” category with a 177 air quality index and 92.6  µg/m³ (concentration of particulate matter in the air) Monday morning. IQAir’s charts indicate Toronto’s air quality will start to improve Monday afternoon and evening.

Bagdad’s air quality index was 247, or “very unhealthy.” Kinshasa was 168, deemed unhealthy and Lahore was 158, also unhealthy.

The Greater Toronto Area is under an air quality warning and heat warning on Monday, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The poor air quality is due to drifting smoke from forest fires over northern Ontario, Environment Canada said.

The extreme heat and poor air quality is of particular concern for older adults, pregnant people, infants and young children, people with an existing illness or chronic health condition.

See IQAir current rankings here.

Lead photo: Avijit Singh