Air in Ontario improving, government report says
Posted January 14, 2011 2:38 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – It appears we can breathe easier after all, after results of the 2009 Ontario Air Quality Report, released by the government on Friday, are encouraging.
The report said the three smog advisories Ontario had last year were the lowest number since they began recording air quality statistics in 2002.
Further, it claims emissions of common air pollutants like nitrogen, sulphur and carbon dioxide are ‘vanishing into thin air’, dropping significantly from levels measured in 2000, including a drastic 64 per cent drop in carbon monoxide.
Levels of particles like smoke, dust and pollen have gone down considerably since 2003.
“These pollutants are all part of smog, and when you breathe them in, they go into your lungs, and they can cause asthma attacks, they can lead to heart disease, they can lead to strokes, and they can ultimately lead to death,” said Jack Gibbons with with the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, saying it equates to standing beside a smoker all day.
Gibbons told 680News that the improved air quality is better for your nose.
“Clean air is definitely better in terms of smell. Dirty air, you can smell it. It’s not pleasant.”
According to the report, the drops in pollutant levels are equivalent to removing more than 350,000 vehicles off the roads yearly.
Experts are praising Queen’s Park, where the government credits several significant changes for the improvements in air quality, including upgrading to cleaner energy sources and the drive-clean program.
Updated air control laws and the closing of several coal-fired plants may have also had an impact.
“The really good news is that we no longer need our dirty coal fired power plants to keep the lights on, so we’re hoping that Premier McGuinty will complete the full phase out this year to give us even cleaner air this summer,” Gibbons said.
As a result, “that would lose up to 158,000 asthma attacks a year – certainly more we can do to make this summer healthier for our children.”
Improved air quality became evident two summers ago in 2009, when the province only have five smog days.
