Recently I had what is a rare privilege for most scientists: The chance to bring an issue of great importance to the attention of the media, the public and a broad range of leading professionals.
Even more gratifying, the response has been tremendous. Not only have people taken notice, but many have been moved to act.
The issue is the cumulative risks to health, longevity and quality of life that are posed by airborne pollutants. As readers of this blog and my other writings are aware, there has been a plethora of research in recent years highlighting the extreme dangers posed by air pollution.
Airborne particulates have been linked to everything from chronic disease to climate change. That’s a wide spectrum, illustrating the fact that pollution can change your life and change the planet.
In a news release earlier this month, I pointed out that the federal government estimates the annual economic cost of air pollution in Canada is $120 billion, while calculating that 15,300 Canadians die prematurely each year as a result of airborne particulates.
This is hard for some Canadians to believe, given the fact that we are a low-density country with vast, unspoiled stretches of land.
Canada is certainly vast, but some remote areas are not as unspoiled as we would like to believe. Pollutants can be found in surprising places. For example, microplastics have been detected in agricultural fields, and as far north as Hudson Bay. From suburban homes to polar caps, from remote sea beds to the highest mountain peaks, airborne contaminants are literally everywhere.
In response, I am urging a reevaluation of current air pollution standards. These recommended limits on particulates, set by government and sometimes industry, are decades old, and have not kept up with our ever-expanding base of knowledge. We need a reassessment of the ways airborne risks are quantified. It’s clear that traditional air quality standards are not sufficient to protect the public.
Dangerous particles that need to be monitored and limited include bacteria, viruses, fungi and man-made substances such as asbestos, chemical plant by-products and vehicle exhaust.
These airborne toxins are responsible for a variety of chronic medical issues, including dementia, lung cancer among non-smokers, heart disease, respiratory disease, pneumonia, diabetes and COPD. Even trace amounts can have devastating effects.
In most cases, these hazards are as invisible as air itself. Unseen chemicals, microbes, spores, and a variety of carcinogenic substances can be carried by currents from outdoors or generated from synthetic substances and other indoor sources. Many of the riskiest particles are odorless, leaving no clue to the magnitude of the danger.
As I continue to advocate for safer standards, I am also acting in very practical ways to address these vital issues. This year I founded Hamza Mbareche Consulting to help schools, hospitals, nursing homes, businesses and homeowners identify and mitigate serious particulate risks.
In this task I apply my extensive background in scientific research, which has been focused on the study of airborne microorganisms, the microbiome, molecular biology, genomics and bioinformatics.
Real-world applications based on the latest scientific understandings and discoveries — this is how we can all make a difference for ourselves, our communities and our planet.
Air Pollution and People: Raising Awareness of a Rising Threat
