In measuring indoor and outdoor air quality, guidelines established by governments and industry are the gold standard. We often assume that if a particular pollutant exists in concentrations below the standard, the risks to our health are negligible.
A new study from researchers at the University of British Columbia may change that, widening our perspective on the hazards of air pollution.
The team found that levels of atmospheric contaminants that were measured as far below international air quality standards were nonetheless linked with a higher risk of death among affected populations. The researchers sampled air across Canada, and focused on a broad spectrum of pollutants, from vehicle emissions to smoke from wildfires.
“While Canada has some of the best air quality in the world, this is compelling evidence of the harmful effects of air pollution at levels below current standards and guidelines,” said Michael Brauer, professor at UBC’s school of population and public health and lead author of the study, published in July in the journal of Health Effects Institute. “These findings suggest important health benefits could be gained from continued reductions in air pollution and more stringent regulatory standards both here at home and around the world.”
The team pored over air quality data from 1981 to 2016 and compared it with the medical records of 7.1 million Canadians.
“The analysis revealed vast differences in Canadians’ exposure to fine particulate matter depending on where they lived,” explained a report by UBC News, an online University of British Columbia news service. “For instance, average annual concentrations of fine particulate matter were significantly higher in Canada’s largest cities (8 to 16 μg/m3), compared to lower levels measured in rural areas (2 to 6 μg/m3). The highest annual concentrations (16 μg/m3) were observed in the cities of Toronto, Vancouver, Hamilton and Quebec City between 1981 and 1990. Notably, average air pollution levels were highest during the first decade of the study, before showing a steady decline over the next 25 years.”
Before the release of this study Health Canada estimated that 15,300 Canadians die prematurely each year as a result of air pollution. The new findings suggest the real figure is significantly higher. Across the globe, the effects are likely to be even more dramatic.
“If we take what we now know about the risk from low levels of pollution and extend it worldwide, whereas before we were estimating about four million annual deaths from air pollution, that number increases by another 1.5 million,” said Dr. Brauer.
The way that atmospheric pollution claims its victims varies, and includes heart disease, respiratory disease, pneumonia, diabetes and COPD.
“In 2012, Canada adopted new Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) for several air pollutants and set decreasing target concentrations for 2015, 2020 and 2025,” UBC News notes. “The current 2020 standards recommend that average fine particulate matter concentrations be below of 8.8 μg/m3 In the United States, the National Air Quality Standards recommend an average concentration of 12 μg/m3, while the World Health Organization recently updated its Air Quality Guidelines to recommend an annual mean of 5 μg/m3. Each of these standards is well above the 2.5 μg/m3 levels that Dr. Brauer and his team found to increase mortality risk.”
New Study Casts Doubt on Atmospheric Pollution Safety Standards
