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Wednesday, September 08, 2010 - 5:54:32 AM
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Air Quality - Smog and YouWhat is Smog?Smog is made up of ozone and fine particles and often appears as a brown-yellowish haze. Smog tends to be more of a problem in the summer months than in winter. Smog and Our HealthA strong link exists between air pollution and health problems. Federal studies show that smog costs the Canadian health care system more than $1-billion each year. As well, approximately 2,000 people die prematurely due to smog. In addition, smog causes 10,000 hospital admissions, 13,000 emergency room visits and 50,000 sick days every year. Who is at risk?People react differently to smog. It depends on how long they are exposed to it and the amount of smog present in the air. Usually, older adults and those who suffer from cardio-respiratory problems (such as asthma) are most at risk from smog. Children and newborns are also more sensitive to air pollution because their rate of breathing is higher than an adult. People who exercise outside on hot days are also more likely to get sick from smog. Source of Air PollutionThe biggest source of smog in Ontario is the exhaust fumes from cars, trucks and buses. The design of vehicle exhaust system is better and has helped cut pollution from individual vehicles. Still, total emissions are increasing due to the growing number of vehicles on the road. Industry is another major producer of smog. Refineries, smelters and power generating plants put out chemicals that can combine and produce smog. Solvents and coating used by industry also produce smog-forming emissions, as do many cleaning products, paints, pesticides, herbacides and fertilizers. More than half the smog that blankets southern Ontario originates in the United States Midwest. The smog is carried by the wind through the Ohio Valley into Ontario. Air Quality IndexThere are 35 air quality monitoring stations across Ontario. An air quality index for different Ontario communities is updated regularly. The air quality index is recorded on a scale of 0 to 100. If the rating is: 0 - 15 - very good 16 - 31 - good 32 - 49 - moderate 50 - 99 - poor over 100 - very poor Smog watches are issued when there is a 50 per cent chance of a smog alert being issued within the next three days. Smog advisories are issued by noon on the day before a smog alert is expected. Smog alerts are issued when the index is 50 or higher for the region. On average, smog alerts are issued approximately 35 days a year. To learn more, contact the HKPR District Health Unit toll-free at 1-866-888-4577. |
Public Health Emergency Preparedness
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