Child with inhaler

(people with asthma are particularly susceptible to peak levels of sulphur dioxide)

(Source: Health Canada)

The mountain vistas and seascapes of the Georgia Basin and Puget Sound are renowned worldwide. They lift the spirits of those who live here and attract visitors from afar.

But sometimes, even on sunny days, the mountains are obscured by the characteristic brownish layers of smog; whereas a white haze interferes with vistas further east in the region.

Residents and tourists find, at such times, the air difficult to breathe and irritating to the eyes. But air pollution is not simply an annoyance. It affects our ecosystem, our health, our economy and contributes to climate change.

The link between air pollution and health problems has been well documented, especially for the elderly, children, and for those who suffer from respiratory and cardiac problems. Studies have shown that air pollution can:

• increase and aggravate asthma;
• create disease in the airways of children;
• increased respiratory illness in children;
• damage the lungs;
• increased deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular disease;
• increased hospital admissions for lung and heart conditions;
• cause chest pain and nausea;
• cause shortness of breath and (faster) laboured breathing;
• can permanently change lung structure; and
• lead to premature death, increased hospital admissions, more emergency room visits and higher rates of absenteeism.

• Air pollution and health - Why be concerned ?
• "It’s Your Health" - Smog factsheet
• Health and Air Quality (science documents and regulations)
• Clean Air and Health
• The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is a partnership initiative with Environment Canada, Health Canada, the Province of British Columbia and participating municipal governments. British Columbia is the first province in Canada to pilot the index, an innovative tool that links air quality and risk to human health . The AQHI pilot project encompasses the Greater Vancouver Regional District and eight communities across the province including: Kamloops, Vernon, Osoyoos, Nanaimo, Victoria, Quesnel, Prince George and Kelowna.

• Health Canada
  • Safe Environment Programme
  • Health & Air Quality
• American Lung Association of Washington
• British Columbia Lung Association
• Northwest Centre on PM and Health

• Air toxics research by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
• Air quality and health research projects of the School of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, UBC
• British Columbia State of the Air Reports by the BC Lung Association
• Diesel Exhaust Particles and Related Air Pollution from Traffic Sources in the Lower Mainland (pdf)
• Evaluation of ambient air pollution in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia: Public health impacts, spatial variability, and temporal patterns (pdf)
• Pacific 2001 Air Quality Study in the BC Lower Mainland
• Research projects of the Northwest Centre on PM and Health

Hazy view from Chilliwack Hospital

(Source: GVRD)


Clear view from Chilliwack Hospital

(Source: GVRD)