Blowin' in the wind
Canada's smoggiest places
GET OUT YOUR GAS MASKS: May is the beginning of smog season, which lasts until
September. Smog is caused largely by the burning of fossil fuels in power plants,
factories, homes and vehicles. It is made up of fine airborne particles, which combine
with sulphur dioxide and other chemicals, and ground-level ozone, a colourless gas that
forms when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds react in sunlight. As our
map shows, much of the pollution that causes smog drifts north from sources in the
United States. New research suggests there is no safe level of exposure to airborne
particles or ozone at street level (as opposed to the ozone in the stratosphere that protects
us from the sun's radiation).
Windsor to Quebec City
This region has the worst air quality in Canada. While much of the smog is generated
locally, about 50 percent of the ozone comes from the Ohio Valley and the Cleveland and
Detroit areas. Canada is negotiating with the United States to reduce the cross-border
flow of air pollutants. The hot, stagnant summer weather in central Canada is perfect for
ground-level ozone formation, with smog blanketing large urban and rural areas for
several days at a time. Ontario's five coal-fired power plants are the province's largest
industrial source of air pollution.
Atlantic Canada
Around the Bay of Fundy, southern New Brunswick and parts of Nova Scotia southwest
of Halifax, 50 to 80 percent of the smog is caused by cross-border pollution from the
northeastern United States or emissions from central Canada. Smog is concentrated
around the Saint John, N.B., region, where local sources of sulphur dioxide include a
large petroleum refinery, two oil-fired generating stations and several pulp-and-paper
mills.
Calculating the costs


Approximately 5,000 people a year die prematurely as a result of air pollution,
according to a study of 11 Canadian cities.
Almost one in 12 of all non-accidental deaths in Canada can be attributed to air
pollution.
Air pollution increases the number of emergency-room visits and cardiac and respiratory
hospital admissions. Ground-level ozone causes inflammation of the airways that can
persist for up to 18 hours after exposure, while airborne particles penetrate deeply into
the lungs, causing irritation



Most vulnerable to the effects of air pollution are the elderly, anyone with an
underlying illness and children, whose still-developing lung tissue is more
sensitive to pollutants.
More than half of all Canadians live where ground-level ozone can reach
unacceptable levels in summer. Every major Canadian city has levels of airborne
particles high enough to constitute a health risk.
The Ontario Medical Association states that the components of air pollution "pose
a serious health risk to the people of Ontario."
The health benefits from improving air quality in Canada are estimated to be worth $8
billion over 20 years.
Rank by amount
of ground-level
ozone
Rank by amount
of particulate matter
1
Kitchener, Ont.
5
2
Toronto, Ont.
7
3
Windsor, Ont.
3
4
Simcoe. Ont.
11
5
Hamilton, Ont.
10
6
Egbert, Ont.
4
7
Montréal, Que.
1
8
St. Catharines, Ont
6
9
Kejimkujik, N.S.
7
10
Oshawa, Ont.
22
11
Halifax, N.S.
13
12
Québec, Que.
18
13
Saint John, N.B.
7
14
Vancouver, B.C.
16*
15
Calgary, Alta.
11
16
Kamloops, B.C.
1
17
Prince George, B C.
22
18
Winnipeg, Man.
15
19
Chilliwack, B.C.
14
20
Kelowna, B.C.
21
21
Nanaimo, B.C.
18
22
Victoria, B.C.
18
23
St. John's, Nfid.
17
24
Ottawa, Ont.
24
*1997 data, all else: 1998 data Includes all locations for which ground-level ozone and fine-airborne-particulate data (PM2.5)
are collected.
(Canada Wide Standards) SOURCES: NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL (BENCHMARKING AIR EMISSIONS
OF ELECTRIC UTILITY GENERATORS IN THE EASTERN U.S.); ENVIRONMENT CANADA; HEALTH CANADA;
ONTARIO POWER GENERATION; NOVA SCOTIA POWER; POLLUTION PROBE; ONTARIO CLEAN AIR ALLIANCE;
ONTARIO MEDICAL ASSOCIATION; DAVID SUZUKI FOUNDATION