VIDEO: Masking out the smoke

If the smoke is getting to you, you may have considered getting an approved mask (N95) to filter the air you're breathing.

Interior Health has discouraged the use of masks for a number of reasons, including the fact that they can actually increase the resistance to breathing by adding the additional barrier. But many people are getting them anyway, including Rob Clarke, who was seen cycling down Bernard Avenue.

Interior Health's listed the following downsides to the use of the masks:

• may make it more difficult to breathe
• can be risky for elderly and those with existing breathing or heart conditions
• don't fit children's faces properly
• can't be worn properly by people with facial hair
• stop working if they get saturated with water or sweat

One thing everyone agrees on is that the regular surgical paper masks that don't have the N95 rating provide no protection in smoky conditions.