Air Pollution Trends Opportunities Jeffrey R. Brook Senior Scientist Air Quality Research Division
Page 2 Air quality has improved considerably
Page 3 Long-Term Trend in “Soot” Courtesy of Tom Dann Elemental or Black Carbon ( g/m 3 )
Page 4 Decreasing Trend in PM 2.5 Annual Mean PM 2.5 ( g/m 3 ) Annual Mean Sulphate ( g/m 3 )
Page 5 Decreasing Trend in NO x Annual Mean NO 2 and NO (ppb)
Page 6 An Environmental Management
Page 7 Ground-level ozone has declined since the early 2000s, however … Large regions encompassing a large fraction of the population still exceed the new National Standard
Page 8 Hotspots may still pose risks Ambient Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) levels increasing among monitoring sites near petrochemical industries
Page 9 Traffic Air Pollution remains an important source of exposure for many Canadians Air pollution effects occur down to low concentrations
Page 10 Given what has and is expected to be done to regulate emissions … What else could be considered?
Page 11 Health Benefits of Reducing Diesel Exposure “Scientific evidence is compelling”
Page 12 New diesels are much cleaner Legacy heavy duty diesels are potentially on and off our roads for multiple decades to come $460M
Page 13 There are also opportunities to improve air quality in Canada through retrofits of the legacy diesel fleet Some assessments Some small pilot tests
Page 14 Air pollution is a factor in asthma and allergy development and/or exacerbation and much of our exposure is “involuntary” However, all aspects of a child’s environment need to be considered to optimize preventive strategies Knowledge is still lacking to do this
Page 15 Viruses Birth Cohort Examining the Origins of Asthma and Allergy A national platform for multi-disciplinary research on environment and health From asthma to other chronic diseases that develop through the life course Genetics Immune phenotypes Clinical phenotypes Stress SES Home environment Pollution Work & School environment Diet Exposures Pets N = 3600
Page 16 CHILD is currently following children in Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver Overall air pollution and traffic air pollution are being studied along with many other environmental factors Stay tuned !