2010 Progress Report - International Joint Commission

Health Effects
CANADA
Health Canada is conducting research
and developing tools that will support
regulatory and non-regulatory actions
for improving air quality and
human health.
Studies include investigations of the health risks
associated with exposure to air pollutants emitted
from industrial and transportation sources;
mortality risk associated with long term exposure
to air pollutants; and characterization of the spatial
variability of ambient air pollutants.
Health Canada is also continuing to develop an
air health indicator for tracking changes in health
outcomes attributable to changes in air quality. In
addition, the development phase of the multi-pollutant
Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is now completed
and the index is currently implemented in select
communities across Canada. By providing daily and
forecasted air pollution information, the AQHI helps
Canadians make decisions to protect their health by
limiting short-term exposure to air pollution.
Health Canada and Environment Canada are working
to fi nalize a comprehensive Canadian Smog Science
Assessment, which will inform future policy actions
including a review of the Canada-wide Standards.
Canadian Health and Exposure
Research
Seniors’ Health Study
This study examined the association between
exposure to particulate air pollution and changes in
cardiovascular function among non-smoking seniors
in Windsor, Ontario. Daily indoor and outdoor black
carbon and particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM 2.5
)
samples were collected along with personal samples
for PM 2.5
. Findings from this study suggest that
increased exposure to black carbon and PM 2.5
can
increase blood pressure, heart rate, and several
other cardiovascular measures. In general, fi ndings
from this study are consistent with previous evidence
suggesting that daily exposure to particulate pollution
can have an adverse impact on cardiovascular
function in seniors.
Canadian Census Cohort –
Mortality and Air Pollution Study
(CCC-MAPS)
In 2009, Health Canada launched a Canadian Census
Cohort study in collaboration with Statistics Canada.
This study will examine the mortality risk of long-term
exposure to air pollution in the Canadian population.
Long-form census data on 2.7 million Canadians are
currently being linked to vital status information up
to 2007. Long-term exposure to PM 2.5
and ozone will
be estimated using remote sensing methods, land
use regression models and ambient data, as well as
an atmospheric exposure model. The relationship
between air pollution exposure and cancer incidence
and cause-specifi c mortality will be examined. Results
from this study will be used to inform risk management
strategies, and will further our knowledge on the
chronic effects of long-term exposure to air pollution
in specifi c regions of the country.
Industrial Emissions and the
Exacerbation of Adverse Health
Effects in Asthmatic Children
In 2009, Health Canada initiated a study to examine
the impact of industrial emissions on respiratory and
cardiovascular health in asthmatic children. This
study, to be completed in 2010, is being conducted in
Scientific and Technical Cooperation and Research
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