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| The
Newspaper of the Thames Region Ecological
Association |
Air
Quality Issue 2003 |
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| Local Action
Begins With London Air Quality Campaign |
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Thames Region
Ecological Association (TREA) is delivering a
one year public awareness campaign in partnership
with the City of London with the goals of reducing
city-wide energy consumption, emissions of greenhouse
gases and encouraging the use of public transportation
and sustainable practices to reduce local air
pollution.
The first component, "Do
Your Share For Clean Air," is
a travelling fair that will visit several community
events, malls, businesses and schools. Travelling
Fair visits will include displays, programs and
workshops with a call for action by London "air
quality energy champions".
The fair has several community
partners including:
- Thames Region Ecological Association
- City of London
- Middlesex London Health Unit
- The London Transit Commission
- Solar Energy Society of Canada's London
Chapter
- Ontario Lung Association
- Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
- London Occupational Safety and Health
- The Council of Canadians
- Ministry of the Environment
- Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
- London and Area Active and Safe Routes to
School
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Other delivery
supporters presently include: The Thames Valley
District School Board, The London District Catholic
School Board, Grosvenor Lodge, Clarke Road Secondary
School, Fanshawe College, University of Western
Ontario, HRDC, On-Site, the Chamber of Commerce
Environment Committee, Urban League of London,
Environmental Management Resource Centre for Business,
Pillar Voluntary Sector Network and various London
media.
We were busy this summer setting up the travelling
fair, gathering data from Londoners with a phone
survey and organizing visits which started in
July to several special events and malls. In September,
we were at Western Fair and are now beginning
our visits to businesses and schools in the London
area.
Several initiatives will be promoted with emphasis
on the following programs:
- Environment Canada's National Commuter
Challenge, Clean Air Day and the Federal Government's
One Tonne Challenge.
We will also encourage citizens to participate
with:
- Earth Day Canada's Residential EcoAction
Guides
- The David Suzuki Nature Challenge and the
- Sustainable Development
Research Institute's
- Climate Change Calculator software.
The second component, "1
in 5 - the Commuter Rule, Carpool, Ride, Bike,
Walk to Work and School"
is a campaign to encourage London citizens to
find a different way to work and school one day
per week, one that supports health, the environment,
and safety. This campaign will also focus on the
reduction of vehicle idling and increased participation
in London's commuter challenge for June 2004.
Delivery will include support from Thames Region
Ecological Association's Bicycle Festival partners
and the Urban League of London. |
| Air
Quality Locally |
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Smog
and climate change are the two primary air quality
issues faced by London. For both of these issues,
the use of fossil fuels is a major source of
these emissions. The following sections describe
these issues in more detail.
SMOG
London is located in Central
Canada's smog hot spot, a narrow strip that
runs along the north shores of Lake Erie, Lake
Ontario and the St. Lawrence River to Quebec
City. According to Environment Canada , the
worst air quality in Canada is here in rural
southwestern Ontario, in particular along the
north shore of Lake Erie. Here, ground-level
ozone regularly exceeds the ambient air quality
criteria guidelines (maximum desirable level).
In London, about half of the ground level ozone
comes from local sources, with the other half
"imported" from sources upwind of London (urban
areas and coal-fired power stations), particularly
on warm and sunny summer days with winds from
the south-west.1 Air currents can
carry ground-level ozone and other pollutants
for hundreds of kilometres, contributing to
smog in other places.
The health effects due to poor air quality cannot
be overstated. The Ontario Medical Association
estimates that more than 1900 people die prematurely
as a result of air pollution in the province
every year and the health care costs to treat
those affected now approaches $9.9 billion per
year.2, 3
On a local level, we must play an important
role in air quality and climate change initiatives.
The benefits of improving air quality include
the potential to reduce illness as well as environmental
damage.
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| Effects
Of Air Pollution |
Environment
Canada
Health
- Irritated throat and eyes
- Coughing and wheezing
- Difficulty breathing
- Reduced ability to carry oxygen in the blood
- Fatigue
- Immune system damage
- Aggravated asthma, bronchitis and emphysema
- Increased risk of lung cancer
Economic
- Increased costs to healthcare system (Hospital
visits, medication treatment, etc.)
- Reduced crop yields
- Damage to buildings, paint finishes, fabrics
and textiles
Environment
- Damaged trees and other vegetation
- Heavy metals and toxic chemicals are deposited
into land and water and accumulatein the food
chain
- Reproduction affected among certain species
- Contaminated wildlife habitats
- Climate change and acid damage to our lakes
and rivers
Footnotes
1. Only due to particulate
and does not consider the effects of any other
air pollutants.
2. IP/RP Workgroup 1996. Bulletin on inhalable
and respirable particulates (IP & RP), IP/RP
Progress Note #1, prepared
for Ontario Smog Plan, prepared by IP/RP Strategy
Working Group, Chair: David Pengelly,
November, 1996.
3. Ontario's Air: Years of Stagnation. Ontario
Medical Association. 2001.
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