May 16th, 2024
On May 14th, 2024, BC Lung Foundation visited 100 Mile House to distribute 100 air quality monitors to the local community through Carter’s Project.
Check out the article in the 100 Mile Free Press here.
Last summer in 100 Mile House, 9-year-old Carter Vigh sadly passed away due to an asthma attack caused by poor air quality. The nearest air quality monitoring station was 100km away; the skies were clear, but the air over 100 Mile was, invisibly, very poor. Local, real-time air quality monitoring would likely have saved his life.
Carter’s Project is an initiative in honour of Carter Vigh, which funds the free distribution of air quality monitors throughout British Columbia. BC Lung has been working with Amber Vigh, Carter’s mother, to bring the project to life. "It's been amazing to see our community come together to support Carter's Project. We want to continue Carter's legacy and make a difference in BC because air quality affects everyone," says Amber Vigh.
Over the past two months, BC Lung has invited households within 100 Mile House to apply to receive an air quality monitor. Carter’s Project is a fully subsidized program, and a total of 100 monitors were distributed including 90 indoor monitors and 10 outdoor monitors. Monitors will provide potentially life-saving information, especially for those who suffer from lung disease and are particularly vulnerable during extreme weather events like wildfires. Residents of 100 Mile House will be able to access real-time air quality readings online from the data provided by the outdoor monitors throughout town.
"Making air quality information accessible to communities located in wildfire-prone areas is so important. We hope that Carter's Project will fill some gaps within the province and keep families informed and safe," says Christopher Lam, President & CEO at BC Lung Foundation.
The BC Lung Foundation put Carter's project into action as they visited 100 Mile House to distribute air quality monitors to local families who want to access real-time data on air quality. There was a town hall event held at 100 Mile Community Hall where BC Lung distributed the monitors to the families receiving them. They also provided information on air quality, demonstrations of the monitors and how to use them, as well as a workshop on how to make DIY air cleaners.
To learn more about Carter’s Project visit: bclung.ca/cartersproject.