Burrard Inlet Environmental Indicators Report - the BIEAP and ...

Burrard Inlet Environmental Indicators Report February 2008
4. Air Quality
Why look at air quality?
Air quality and air emissions have direct and indirect
effects on the environment, regional economy and
human health. Improved air quality increases the socioeconomic
well-being of Canadians, reducing illness and
associated health care costs and improving productivity
of industry while decreasing health care costs.
Current Status: Air quality in the Burrard Inlet airshed
has improved notably over the past 20 years and is
currently acceptable most of the time, although it may
occasionally be of concern for vulnerable members of
the population.
Effects of poor air quality
on humans
Short- and long-term exposure
to air pollutants is harmful to
human health, depending on
how much and how long people
are exposed. Asthma,
bronchitis and exacerbation of
pre-existing conditions such as
diabetes and heart problems
have been clearly linked with
air pollution. In Canada,
thousands of premature deaths
per year, as well as increased
rates of medical treatment and
hospitalization are associated
with poor air quality. Pregnant
women, children and the elderly
are especially at risk.
The increased health care
costs and missed time from
work or school affect the
economy. Other socioeconomic
costs include lost
tourism dollars associated with
degraded visibility related to
smog, and environmental
damage related to acid rain,
which may affect water and soil
chemistry, and abundance and
condition of vegetation.
Vancouver skyline
Air quality as an indicator
Air quality in the Burrard Inlet area can be assessed by
measuring the quality of the ambient air and by assessing the
amounts of contaminants emitted into the air from local sources.
This indicator looks at both ambient air quality and emissions, as
information about emissions is useful in determining causes of
declining or improving air quality and developing approaches for
reducing emissions. Emissions come from both human (e.g.,
burning of fossil fuels in transportation and heating of buildings,
emissions from industries) and natural (e.g., dust from wind
erosion, ash from forest fires) activities. In addition, air
contaminants transported from outside the Burrard Inlet area
can affect local air quality.
Several air pollutants are defined as Criteria Air Contaminants
(CACs, see sidebar on the following page) as they affect
human health and contribute to smog, acid rain and reduced
visibility. For example, particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5)
is of particular concern for health and visibility effects,
whereas SOx and NOx contribute to acid rain and visibility
degradation, as well as to the subsequent formation of
particulate matter in the atmosphere.
Air quality information was provided by Metro Vancouver, which
manages the Lower Fraser Valley Air Quality Monitoring
Network. CAC levels are recorded continuously and reported as
hourly or longer averages. There are nine monitoring stations
located within the Burrard Inlet area, five of which were used for
this indicator. These stations (Kitsilano in Vancouver,
Kensington Park in Burnaby, Second Narrows and Mahon Park
in North Vancouver and Rocky Point Park in Port Moody) were
selected because they provide the most complete time series for CACs and best represent ambient
conditions in the area. For each station, data were calculated over three time periods (annual
average, annual maximum 24-hour and annual maximum 1-hour) to reflect short-term and longterm
conditions. Data are generally available for the period from 1981 to 2006, although there is
some variation in terms of when stations began operation and when particulate monitoring data
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