Climate Change, Air Quality and Your Health

• The word “smog” comes from “smoke” and “fog”.
   
• It occurs most often on hot days when heat and sunlight react to gases and particles in the air to from smog, but air pollution is a year round issue.
   
• The main pollutants in smog (particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide and ground level ozone) irritate or burn the lining in our lungs.
   
• Smog can cause breathing difficulties for people with respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses like asthma and heart disease. Children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people who work outdoors are most vulnerable to smog related illnesses.
   
• In 2008, air pollution contributed to 9,500 early deaths and over 16,000 hospital admissions in Ontario (Ontario Medical Association).
   
• The economic loss due to smog related illnesses costs Ontarian’ $10 billion dollars a year.
   
• As the number of smog days increase with climate change, deaths due to air pollution, hospital admissions and their associated costs will continue to rise.
   
• The Air Quality Health Index (link to AQHI section of web site) is a tool that measures air quality in relation to your health on a scale of 1 to 10. A reading of 1 means a low risk and 7 or greater represents a high risk. The index can help you decide when to enjoy physical activity outdoors and when to reduce or reschedule your activities. Hourly conditions and forecasts can be found at www.airhealth.ca. For air quality conditions in Ontario outside the GTA visit www.airqualityontario.com.
   
• Using the 20/20 Planner to reduce energy consumption and fossil fuel use decreases the amount of pollutants in the air from vehicles, coal-fired power plants, and individual households. In turn, this prevents climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.