Air quality
The air we breathe has a significant impact on our overall health and various aspects of our lives. Here you will learn more about indoor and outdoor air quality, including the impacts of air pollutants on your health and what you can do to reduce your risks and exposures.
In this section
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Air Quality Programs
Vancouver Coastal Health’s air quality program aims to provide information to t…
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Air quality monitoring projects
VCH projects that monitor air quality indicators to provide data and increase a…
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AQ-CARE: Air Quality—Community Action, Resilience and Empowerment
The AQ-CARE Project—Air Quality—Community Action, Resilience and Empowerment—ai…
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Indoor air quality
Canadians spend an average of 90% of their time indoors at home, work and in re…
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Outdoor air quality
Outdoor air pollution can come in many different forms. In addition to regional…
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Public Health resources for schools and childcare facilities
Guidance and information for schools on topics such as air quality and extreme …
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Radon
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in Canada after tobacco smokin…
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Wildfire smoke
Wildfire smoke events are becoming more frequent and severe as the climate chan…
Air quality and health
Health Canada estimates that outdoor air pollution contributes to 1,900 premature deaths per year in British Columbia, in addition to almost 300,000 days of asthma symptoms and 4 million days of acute respiratory symptoms among British Columbians. The total economic cost of all health impacts attributable to air pollution in BC is $14 billion per year (2016 estimates).
Research suggests that there is no safe level of exposure to some air pollutants, such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides, and for this reason we should reduce exposures to air pollution as much as we can.
The impact of air pollution on an individual will depend on factors including the type and amount of air pollution they are exposed to, how long they are exposed, and their pre-existing health conditions and age.
Well-studied health impacts from exposure to certain air pollutants include
- Headache and eye, nose and throat irritation
- Asthma onset and exacerbations
- Respiratory infections
- Lung cancer
- Stroke
- Heart disease
- Death
Recent studies have also found that exposure to some air pollutants may be linked to
- Reduced lung function
- Pre-term birth
- Low-birth weight
- Cognitive development
- Mental health outcomes
- Dementia
- Diabetes
Populations most at risk
Some people are more exposed to air pollution than others, including people who live, work or play close to busy roads or industry and people who live in areas where wood-burning stoves or fireplaces are used.
Certain groups of people may also be more at risk for health effects from exposure to air pollution for medical reasons.
This includes:
- People with pre-existing chronic conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, and diabetes
- People who are pregnant
- Infants and small children
- Older adults
- People with a current or recent respiratory infection
Infants and small children are especially susceptible to air pollution exposures for reasons including:
- Children’s lungs, other organs, and immune systems are developing rapidly, and air pollution may affect these processes.
- Children take in more air pollution because they breathe faster and inhale more air relative to body size than adults.
- Children take in more air pollution because they are generally more physically active than adults.
Other people can be affected by air quality. Everyone responds differently, so listen to your body and reduce your exposure if air quality is affecting you.