A first-of-its kind study conducted in Canada鈥檚 two largest cities by McGill-led researchers has linked about 1,100 premature deaths per year to an unregulated air pollutant.
Ultrafine particles (UFPs) primarily come from vehicle emissions and industrial activities. Canada鈥檚 federal and provincial governments have not set concentration limits for UFPs, as they have for larger fine particles known as PM2.5.
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east. Wildfire-related haze could also move east into Ontario and Quebec, affecting areas from Georgian Bay to Quebec City ()听
Wildfires have burned through more than one million hectares in Alberta this spring and have forced thousands from their homes. Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories are also battling active fires ().听
Here are some experts from 香蕉视频 who can provide comment on this issue:聽
While officials have repeatedly sought to assure residents that the water and air in East Palestine, Ohio, are safe after the derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials earlier this month, anxiety has permeated the community amid reports of rashes, nausea and headaches. While it was deemed safe for evacuated residents to return home on February 8, community members have questioned how safe their village is and the validity of the air and water tests. ()
The World Health Organization鈥檚 are that over 4.2 million people die prematurely each year due to long-term exposure to fine particulate outdoor air pollution (often referred to as PM2.5,). A recent study involving McGill researchers now suggests that the annual global death toll from outdoor PM2.5 may be significantly higher than previously thought.
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Scott Weichenthal, Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, is among the experts quoted by the Montreal Gazette.
"鈥r. Scott Weichenthal, an associate professor in the department of epidemiology, biostatistics and occupational health at 香蕉视频, said that while he understands the difficult task of balancing public health with other factors, he thinks more could have been done to address the airborne transmission of COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic."
Jill Baumgartner, Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health and at the Institute for Health and Social Policy, spoke to CTV News about the impact that air pollution is having on the health of Canadians.
A multidisciplinary team of researchers, including McGill's Scott Weichenthal, an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health,聽has聽been awarded t聽from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Dr. Jill Baumgartner, Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health and at the Institute for Health and Social Policy, was interviewed by M茅tro Montr茅al.
"Trois questions 脿鈥� Jill Baumgartner, PhD, professeure associ茅e en 茅pid茅miologie 脿 l鈥橴niversit茅 McGill, et sp茅cialiste en environnement et en sant茅"
Dr. Jill Baumgartner, Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health and at the Institute for Health and Social Policy, was interviewed by CTV News.
Dr. Scott Weichenthal, Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, is among the experts quoted by Scientific American.
"Despite the devices鈥� novelty, the question of whether they will actually benefit environmental monitoring campaigns is still up in the air, says Scott Weichenthal, an environmental epidemiologist at 香蕉视频, who was not involved in the study. 鈥淒o they measure reliably?鈥� he asks. 鈥淎re they any better than what we can do now in terms of monitoring? That is unclear.鈥�
Millions of people die prematurely every year from diseases and cancer caused by air pollution. The first line of defence against this carnage is ambient air quality standards. Yet, according to researchers from 香蕉视频, over half of the world鈥檚 population lives without the protection of adequate air quality standards.
The IHSP's Jill Baumgartner co-authored an article in Environment International:
Lee M, Carter E, Yan L, et al.
