June 11, 2006, Burlington Post – News

Smog patrol; City officials invited on walkabout to test air Burlingtonians breathe

Jason Misner

The numbers on a hand-held machine that measures very fine air pollutants are telling an important story at a busy intersection on Plains Road East.

The normal level for ultra fine particulate matter -- chemicals from exhaust fumes, for example, that remain suspended in the air and can cling deeper in the lungs when breathed in -- is around 10,000 per cubic centimetres. That volume is about the size of a sugar cube.

A heavy-duty truck slows to the intersection near Francis Road at around 1:30 p.m., in front of the IKEA-Fortinos parking lot, revs its engine to get going again and leaves. The numbers on the machine quickly shoot to 36,000.

Some looked on with worry at the intersection that sees approximately 71,000 vehicles pass through it daily.

"Wow, isn't that amazing," said Ward 2 Councillor Joan Lougheed, joining a group that visited Burlington on a hot and smoggy Wednesday afternoon to illustrate how local sources, like traffic particularly, can threaten air quality at ground level. "That isn't a derelict-looking truck."

Stationed at the other side of the intersection a short time later, the number on the machine jumps to 94,000 as trucks, SUVs and cars roll by.

"As soon as you get a breeze, it drops," Lougheed observes.

At nearby Bolus Park, the ultra fine particulate matter reading is down to 11,400. The councillor and other city officials recently joined The Clean Air Partnership on a walkabout, armed with air-pollutant testing machines, to show how things like local traffic can affect the air we breathe. Bad air isn't just caused by region-wide or province-wide sources.

Gabrielle Kalapos of the Clean Air Partnership said the intent of the approximately 45-minute walkabout was to show bad air doesn't happen just because a smog alert is issued. Air quality concern is a year-round issue, she said.

"It's not just a summer issue, it's a winter issue as well," she said while fighting the sound of vehicles whizzing past.

It also illustrates to local government about land-use planning, for example, where the best and safest location is to build a school.

Kalapos said studies are being done to determine the exact health impact of ultra fine particulate matter.

"It's an emerging field of study."

According to the Ontario Medical Association, air pollution, in general, can hurt your health. The OMA states health effects range from difficulty in breathing to coughing and wheezing, and aggravation of existing cardiac and respiratory conditions. These effects may result in visits to a doctor or an emergency room, an increase in medication use, admissions to hospital or even premature death.

For sensitive individuals, any increase in air pollution, no matter how small, can cause underlying illnesses to become more severe. A 2000 study by the OMA found the annual health-care costs of air pollution were around $600 million.

The lesson a concerned Lougheed said she learned from the recent tour is the importance of the city's year-old anti-idling ban. (The city has yet to issue tickets, but has doled out 700 warnings).

It also tells her transit is one key way to get around so people can leave their car keys at home.

"There's a lot of work to be done," she said, noting motorists should turn off engines whenever possible.

Everyone can do something to better air quality, from walking to cycling.

"It's critical throughout the year to be aware of the environment," Lougheed said.

The automobile dominates as the main source of transportation in this city. Figures from Statistics Canada show a solid majority of Burlington residents use a car, van or truck to get to work.

Lynn Robichaud, the city's senior environmental coordinator, who also joined in on the air quality testing event, said the city must keep getting out its message about alternate forms of transportation. It's a tough a nut to crack, she said, but feels it can be done.

"A big part of it is social change," she said. "It's very difficult to get people out of the comforts of their vehicles to get into transit."