Air Pollution In Canada Essay

388 Words2 Pages

The common misconception is that air pollution is under control, but the fact of the matter is, it’s not it’s inclining, and is hurting thousands of Canadians annually. “Air pollution is a "silent killer" and is unique in that it affects the entire population”, according to Dr. Michael Brauer, professor at the school of population and public health, University of British Columbia. Canada in respects to the recent updated World Health Organization mandates have fallen behind, the need is for Canada to act sooner rather than later.

We commonly refer to Global Warming as air pollution, so the government needs to understand what scientists are saying about this ageless disaster. Air pollution essentially means gas, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon …show more content…

PPB (particle part per billion) have three subcategories they go as follows: Total Particulate Matter (TPM), particulate Matter (PM10) which is mass median diameter less than 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air and Particulate Matter (PM2.5) holding a mass median diameter of less than 2.5 micrograms, and anything less than 2.5 μm (PM 2.5) is extremely harmful. Canada is 15 parts per billion above the WHO guidelines with 65 parts per billion and addition to that it is also four micrograms higher in standard 24-hour peak concentration of fine particulates matter.

With more and more patients checking into hospitals because of air pollution, particularly young children and elderly people the danger is becoming a reality impacting Canadians on a larger scale. "We see increases in admissions to hospital for respiratory illnesses such as asthma [in children]," Dr. Moneeza Walji, told CBC News. The health effects of air pollution increased estimates mortality of 1%-2% regardless of the recommendations put forth by WHO. 10 million Canadians live near highways or intersections exposed to traffic air